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Posted on Tue, Mar. 04, 2008

Tribute: Donna Mae Stewart, 71, of Lees Summit, 'a dyed-in-the-wool baseball fan'

By JACQUIE LEHATTO
Special to The Star

Who: Donna Mae Stewart, 71, of Lee’s Summit.

When and how she died: Feb. 19, of complications from breast cancer.

Diehard fan: Donna Wakeley was a true New York Yankees fan. She was attending a high school summer league game in Illinois when she struck up a conversation with Yankees scout Art Stewart.

“I was looking at a 17-year-old, left-hand pitcher, Larry Gura,” Art said.

Gura went on to pitch for the Kansas City Royals in the 1980 World Series, and Art went on to be Donna’s husband for 47 years.

“If there was ever love at first sight, that was it for me, and her, too,” Art said. “The most amazing thing was that she was a dyed-in-the-wool baseball fan.”

Change of allegiance: Donna Stewart loved baseball, but her love for the Yankees wasn’t so permanent. Her husband joined the new Royals organization in 1969 as a scout. The couple’s home base continued to be Chicago.

“After that first year, I came home and my den, which was all decorated with Yankees memorabilia, had been changed over to Royals blue,” Art said.

In 1984, they moved to Lakewood in Lee’s Summit.

“I thought she would miss Chicago, but after that first year, she called Kansas City home,” Art said. “She loved it.”

On the road: Being married to a baseball scout meant long weeks away from home.

“Every summer, from the time I got out of school until the time I went back, we were on the road,” said the Stewarts’ daughter, Dawn Stewart. “Sometimes we’d see five ballgames a day.

“As long as we were together, it didn’t matter,” Dawn said. “And that’s how my mom felt about my dad.”

In the stands: Donna attended all Royals’ home games and many of the away games, establishing friendships with the players and their families. She met many of the players as prospects.

“She saw these kids, the George Bretts and the Frank Whites, since they were 18-year-olds,” Art said. “She watched them grow up.”

She also was available for advice or just some mothering when the young players needed it.

Brett and White flew in from spring training to speak at her memorial service last month.

Flower lady: One thing about Donna that wasn’t Royals blue was her green thumb.

“She had beautiful gardens,” said her friend and neighbor, Phyllis Combest. “She taught me so much about flowers. Every morning we would meet for coffee on my deck or her patio.”

Courageous: Six months ago, when Donna called Art to tell him that she would not be able to make a home game because she had a backache, he knew something was wrong. Doctors found breast cancer had metastasized to her spine. She endured operations and therapy, hoping to beat the disease.

“She was one of the bravest people I have ever been around,” Combest said. “She was very stoic. We can all take a lesson from her.”

Survivors include: Her husband, daughter and son-in-law, two grandsons, and the Royals players she loved.

The last word: Art will be inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame this year during a ceremony honoring his 39 years with the team.

“Donna really would be my partner for the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I know she will be looking down, waving and wearing Royals blue.”