Ministers of Blair Church

Lawrence Stewart

Lawrence Stewart left school at 16 with a grade 10 certificate. He worked for seven years at the British Canadian Co-operative Society Ltd. Store in Sydney Mines. During this time he was active in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, especially in the Young People's Group, as a leader for part of the time. They had a very large and active group. Reverend Douglas Wilson was the minister. Lawrence was a member of the local Militia company and also taught a course in electricity at Night School. While working with the Young People's Group they often conducted services in their own and surrounding churches in industrial area of Cape Breton and as far as Cape North. At (age 24) this time he told us he felt called by the Master to go into full-time service for the Lord. With the moral support of Rev. Wilson and the con- gregations of the Pictou area, Lawrence began his ministry while also studying for his grade 11 and 12. He conducted services at the three churches of Blue Mountain, Garden of Eden and East River St. Mary's. He resided with Willis and Mary Ross and family. Later he received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Acadia University, travelling back and forth on the weekends. He was taking his Bachelor of Education degree with the idea of teaching over- seas as a Presbyterian missionary at the time of his death, January 17, 1964 at age 30. His body was returned to Sydney Mines for burial at Brookside Cemetery. Lawrence married Florence Hood, a former Presbyterian Deaconess on December 31, 1963. Just 17 days later he was killed in an auto accident.
OBITUARY:Taken from local paper
Car Reported To Have Been Crushed Under Big Truck At Corner

BLUE MOUNTAIN .Lawrence Stewart, 30, Presbyterian student minister here for the past five years, was instantly killed when a trailer truckrolled over on his car at Falmouth Friday afternoon. Mr. Stewart, who was studying at Acadia University, Wolfville, five days a week, for his Bachelor of Education degree, was on the way home for Sunday services here when the accident occurred. An engineering s t u d e n t, Grant Richardson of Moncton,was a passenger in Mr. Stewart's small foreign car and was seriously injured. Mr. Richardson was removed to hospital in Halifax. Mr. Stewart and his passenger (he usually had three or four other students with him, but Friday had only the one) left Acadia about 2 Friday afternoon and as he went to turn a corner in Falmouth, the trailer truck was coming along and is reported to have gone out of control, struck the Stewart car and toppled over on it. The driver of the truck, William John Deal of South Rawdon, Hants Co" was uninjured. Started At 24 Mr. Stewart was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Wesley D. Stewart. Sydney Mines. After two years of high school there, He left to work in a co-operative store with his father. When he was 24 he felt that he had been called to the ministry. and a friend. Rev. Douglas Wilson, one-time minister at Blue Mountain Knox Church, was instrumental in his coming here. While serving as student minister he took his Grade XI and XII at East Pictou Rural High School. graduating as an honor student. Then he went to Acadia and graduated in Arts in May of 1963, returning in the fall for his B Ed. He had planned to be a teaching missionary and after this spring was going to Montreal to enter the Presbyterian College for his theology degree. Wonderfnl Work In his charge here, including Garden of Eden and East River St. Mary he did "wonderful" work according to other ministers in the Presbytery. He was especially interested and effective with young people; Mr. Stewart married Florence May Hood, Presbyterian deaconess in Pictou Presbytery on Dec. 31, just 17 days ago, in Kirkwall Presbyterian Church, Kirkwall, Ont. They were residing at 399 East River Road. She went down to Cape Breton last night to be with his parents. He is also survived by three sisters and one brother. When he graduated from Acadia lastspring he was "Cap and Gown" speaker. His outside activities included participation in the Cape Breton Judo and History Clubs. He had transferred his church membership to 8t. Andrew's in Westville last year. The funeral will be held from 8t. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Sydney Mines on Monday afternoon. Several members of Pictou Presbytery will attend: Rev. A. D. MacLeod, East River Valley, Rev. William Reid, St. Andrew's,New Glasgow, Rev. Charles Shaver, Union, Thorburn, and possibly Rev. Hugh Creaser, First, New: Glasgow.

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