Marion Stewart, 99; Master Weaver Shared Skills With Hundreds

Marion Stewart, 99, a master of the fine art of weaving who shared her skills with hundreds of students, died of natural causes July 11 at her longtime home in Claremont.

Stewart, a warm-spirited artist with a passion for education, was born and raised in New York City. She was educated at Vassar College and spent her early adulthood teaching at Dalton School in Manhattan and raising three children with her first husband, Henry Meyer. Her life in Southern California began in 1939, when she married sculptor Albert Stewart and moved to Claremont, where he had accepted a teaching appointment at Scripps College. She joined the faculty as an instructor in weaving and textile design in 1944 and taught there until 1971.

Stewart showed her work in major national exhibitions, received commissions for residences in California and New York and created large architectural decorations for churches in Claremont, Riverside and Pomona. After her retirement from Scripps, Stewart taught weaving in the home that she and her husband built with architect Ted Criley. She also did volunteer work for Planned Parenthood for more than a decade.