Obituary of Stewart Wayne Neufeld

NEUFELD, Stewart Wayne March 22, 1956 " March 22, 2016 Stu died peacefully at home on the morning of his 60th birthday on March 22, 2016. His wife and soulmate Cathy and his sister Cindy were holding his hands at the end. Stu had a good life. He lived especially bravely over his final 18 months with ALS/Lou Gehrig"s disease, the last four months with pancreatic cancer too. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends and will be remembered for his kind and gentle spirit, his generous and loving heart, his patience, and his humor. Stewart was born in Brookes, Alberta and grew up on the family farm in Seven Persons, near Medicine Hat. As a kid he liked to roam the prairie with his dog and measure things. His earliest childhood memory around age 3 was hitting his head on the kitchen table. It was the day he could no longer run clear under it. He said that he used the family"s yard stick and measured the table right away. Perhaps his love of counting and math began that day. Stu graduated from high school in 1974 and studied Engineering and then Religious Studies before finally settling on mathematics. He earned his first degree in math at Canadian Mennonite Bible College (now Canadian Mennonite University). Shortly after he started work in several remote communities in northern Manitoba "teaching fractions", as he used to say. Stu"s students were adults returning to school to upgrade their skills, mostly seeking to become carpenters and nurses. Stu was very concerned about their math abilities and stayed up many nights worrying about whether they would get the decimal point in the correct position. Especially the nurses. However, theoretical math was Stu"s passion and in time he earned his masters degree in math from Dalhousie University in Halifax and then his PhD in math from Queen"s University in Kingston in 1994. Stu met Cathy along the way and they married in Winnipeg in 1992. While Cathy got to work on her own PhD Stu taught math at the University of Winnipeg. Then in 1997 they began their USA adventure joining Wayne State University as professors in downtown Detroit. They have called Windsor and Detroit home ever since. "Two peas in a pod" Stu and Cathy not only worked together, they played together " enjoying competitive games of squash and cycling wherever they lived. They travelled often to see family in Portugal and Italy and special bike trips -- to Napa Valley, to Tuscany and to Crete had a special place in their hearts. At home Cathy and Stu enjoyed various home renovation projects and making places more beautiful. Some very favorite "Stu things" included Sudoku puzzles (always done with a pen, never a pencil), following US politics (and lamenting the poor quality of candidates), and reading the bridge and chess columns in the newspaper when his nephews weren"t available to play. Stu also loved to laugh. He was known to appear as a sock monkey or dress up as Mrs. Surefire " a kissing cousin of the more famous Mrs. Doubtfire"when the occasion demanded. One winter, the daily work commute home was taken over with calculations of snowball trajectories, and fending off snow balls from the kids next door. One summer, he drained the hot water tank in the basement, twice, to fill the backyard pool with warm water to be sure the little kids would be cozy. Stu enjoyed beautiful things" appreciating modern art especially, and the inspiration that can only come from the beauty of nature and great music " classical, jazz, rock and roll and even more so in the last few months, Black gospel music. Homemade BBQ ribs and ice-cream were also high on his list of fine pleasures. Before he got sick Stu would enjoy a "wee dram" of single malt scotch to mark a special accomplishment"a research grant awarded, a new publication with real public impact, a student"s success" most often in the company of his good friends Mark and Andrea, Larry and Heinz. He claimed he developed this taste for single malt because his mother gave him a Scottish sounding name. In his final months Stu enjoyed virtually all the BBC murder mystery series available on Netflix. He was working on re-watching all the James Bond and Pink Panther films too. Predeceased by his parents Rudy (2007) and Irma (2012), Stu will be deeply missed by his wife and best friend Cathy and his three siblings Cam (Marianne), Cindy (Karl) and Garth (Liz) and their children Adam (Erin), Jordan, Luke, Aaron, Alec and Graeme, and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Also deeply missed by Cathy"s parents Allan and Shirley Lysack, and Cathy"s siblings and their families: Margie (deceased) and Brent, David and Lisa, John and Lee, Andrea, and Liz and Shaun, and nieces and nephews Allison, Michael, Anna, Daniel, Mark, Jonathon and Baltazar (Balti). Stu will be remembered as a gentle man full of generosity, wisdom, kindness and fun. In his work he will be remembered for his mathematical creativity and elegant solutions as well as his health and aging research on decision making and risk that worked to find solutions to make the lives of vulnerable people better. His memory will bring smiles and stories and laughter to his family and friends forever. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 11 am at Emmanuel United Church, 1728 Lincoln Road, Windsor, Ontario. All are welcome to remain afterwards for a reception at the church. We wish to thank the Hospice of Windsor for their care and compassion, and especially nurses that came daily to the house, Val and Karen. If you wish, a donation in Stu"s memory can be made to the Hospice of Windsor or the Mennonite Central Committee. Stu appreciated the work of both organizations and their dedicated efforts to care for people in need. Cremation Arrangements entrusted to SIMPLE CHOICE CREMATION CENTRE (519-254-2585). Online condolences and cherished memories may be shared with the family at www.simplechoicecremation.ca.