Lasting Memories

Ray Simpson Stewart
Dec. 16, 1926-Aug. 1, 2020
Palo Alto, California
Submitted by Claire Stewart Kostic

Ray Simpson Stewart, a pioneer in the development of the Silicon Valley electronics industry, passed away on Saturday, August 1st at his home in Redwood City, CA due to complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 93. Ray first came to the Palo Alto area in 1953 when he was asked by his employer, Convair, to participate in the testing of Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft at Moffett Field in Mountain View. From there, he became involved with the development of the video recorder at Ampex Corporation. He and several colleagues from Ampex formed Datamec Corp., which was sold to Hewlett Packard in 1965, and he then became President of Data Memory, Inc., a company that produced instant replay for television. Ray continued to engage in entrepreneurial endeavors in the electronics industry in Silicon Valley for the remainder of his career. Born in Honolulu, HI on December 16, 1926, Ray was the second son of Col. William Robert Stewart (USA, Ret.) and Mary Agnes Simpson. His father was a career Army officer, which led the family to live in numerous places around the world, including Alcatraz Island, where Col. Stewart was the last military warden of the prison prior to it becoming a Federal penitentiary in 1934. The family then moved to Corregidor, Philippines, and Fort Stevens, OR, where Col. Stewart was the commanding officer, and then Seattle, prior to finally settling in La Jolla, CA just before World War II. Ray graduated from La Jolla High School and attended UCLA for one year before he was drafted into the US Navy, where he was fortunate enough to be enrolled in an electronics training program. Following his discharge from the Navy, Ray completed his college degree at San Diego State College, where he was a founding member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He earned an MBA degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1951. In 1953, Ray married Jean Carol Anderson, whom he met at Convair in San Diego, and they raised five children together in Los Altos and Atherton, CA prior to their divorce in 1972. Midlife, Ray became very involved in running and participated in numerous marathons, including New York, Boston, and Cal International, and track events, including the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Eugene, OR in 1994. He was also part of a team that continues to hold the world record for the 70+ Men’s age group for the 4 X 800 relay set at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in San Jose in 1997. He was an active member and Executive Director of Fifty Plus, an organization to promote fitness for seniors. Ray was also an avid traveler and enjoyed traveling with his family to all parts of the world. Ray’s second wife, Norma Pappas, whom he married in 2006, died in 2019. Ray was predeceased earlier this year by his older brother, William Robert Stewart, Jr. (USAF, Ret.) of San Antonio, TX and he is survived by his younger brother, Stanley Hays Stewart (Masako), of La Jolla, CA. Ray is also survived by his five children: Sandra Stewart MacPhail (Jack) of Portland, OR, Claire Stewart Kostic (Mark) of Atherton, CA, Sharon Stewart of Ukiah, CA, Kim Stewart of Los Altos, CA, and David Stewart (Paula) of Los Altos, CA. In addition, he is survived by nine grandchildren: Sheldon Stevenson, Jeffrey Stevenson, Creighton Stevenson, Kirsten Hanafee, Sean Hanafee, Emily Bortz, Edward Bortz, Camila Stewart and Giana Stewart, and two great-grandchildren: Finn Stevenson and Charles Stevenson. Due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, burial services and celebration of life will be private. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Stanford Medicine Cancer Discovery Fund, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, or Pathways Hospice.