Barbara Ann Stewart

Barbara Ann Stewart died January 28, 2026.  She was with her two children.  She was a vibrant woman who loved flowers, gardens, and animals, especially dogs.  She was an astute business woman who founded Calico Country Designs.  She started in a small space in the fourth block of Main Street eventually adding an ice cream parlor when the flower shopped moved to the first block of SW Emigrant.  Later she moved the shop to Main and Dorion.  She sold the business and eventually had a flower shop in the Sellwood area of Portland.  Her final business venture was a silk flower specialty shop located in Old Town Milton-Freewater. 

She was born in Morrill, Nebraska, in 1933, the second child of Henry “Hank” and Mary (Cunningham) Stewart.  Her older brother, Robert, died in infancy leaving her the oldest sibling to Richard “Dick” Stewart, Twila Copeland and Cheryl Stewart.  She attended Milton-Freewater High School, Class of 1952.   She is survived by Twila, Cheryl, her children, and their spouses, three granddaughters, five nieces and three nephews.  She was loved and we will all miss her. 

Barbara valued beauty.  She was always handsomely dressed and careful in how she presented herself to the world.  She filled her home with things that brought her great joy.  She found the beauty in the lost, discarded, and unloved.   At her request there will be no service but she would be grateful if everyone who reads this went out and bought flowers for someone they love.  She would ask you to find the beauty in the everyday, the small moments and cherish people today.   If you would like to donate in her memory please contact your local animal shelter. 

Barbara valued beauty.  She was always beautifully dress and careful in how she presented herself to the world.  She filled her home with things that brought her great joy.  She was careful with peoples’ feelings and had empathy for the suffering of others.  She encouraged her children and valued who they became as adults.  At her request there will be no service but she would grateful if everyone who reads this went out and bought flowers for someone they love.  She believed the time to give flowers was not at the end but all the way through the middle. Find the beauty in the everyday, the small moments and cherish people now.