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Stewart Jay McFarland

1955-2023

Stewart Jay McFarland , long time Marin County resident, passed away on April18, 2023 after valiantly battling a long series of illnesses and health setbacks . He was born on August 20, 1955 in Corvallis Oregon and was a fifth generation Oregonian. As a young man in the late 70's he made his way to Marin County by motorcycle to join his brother and sister who had already set up residence .
Stu is survived by his longtime life partner Virginia Beauchamp , his sister Jennifer McFarland, mother Caroline McFarland, brother Alex McFarland, sister in law Marybeth McFarland , and two nieces Devan and Jenna, as well as his nephew Jake and great niece Sophia.
As a young man Stu , like many other children of the time, picked produce when not going to school . His dream to work for the Oregon Highway Department was denied to him by a congenital medical condition that kept him from being hired . He attended two semesters of college in Oregon and was a teachers assistant for a time. He was very gifted in all things mechanical. As a young man he would buy inexpensive cars and fix them to re- sell. He worked at a shop that renovated recreational vehicles . He also worked at a Christmas tree lot where he lived during the season to watch over the trees. In the span of his working career he held many jobs including being a manager of the Sears service center in the Northgate Mall . He also worked in other positions in the company including the Tool department and estimating carpet installations. People that met him there will remember him for his helpfulness and dedication. Stewart became a caretaker for well known Mill Valley photographer Pirkle Jones, who was a student of Ansel Adams . He was a manager for many years at San Anselmo Self Storage until his health forced him to retire early. He was valued for his honesty , friendliness, strong work ethic and troubleshooting abilities. If you needed someone you could count on, Stu was your man!
Stewart was a very sweet and loving person. While his health was still good , he enjoyed fishing, traveling, and treasure hunting at garage sales, flea markets, and second hand stores. He loved a good hunt and had a great eye for a find . If there was a job title for this hobby, his would have been “Urban Archaeologist”! He enjoyed listening to jazz music.
Stewart was fortunate to be able to travel for a time during which he visited Sweden, Maui, Boston, and locations in New York and Pennsylvania.
Stewart was on a kidney transplant list. Sadly, he was not able to get a kidney in time. In death, he was able to make tissue donations to help give a quality of life to several other people. He would have been happy and proud of that!
If you have any stories to share about Stu they would be greatly appreciated and collected into a book of remembrance for the family. (How did you meet, favorite memory or observance, any photos, etc.) They can be left as an email to [email protected] or by phone message to 415/686/1635.
Stu will be greatly missed by all of his friends and family.
A small family gathering will be held at his sister's home to plant a tree in his remembrance on what would have been his 68th birthday.
Donations in his honor can be made to :
Vivalon Senior services in Marin
The Marin Food Bank
The Marin Humane Society
or St. Jude's