Stewart Wayne Pittman

RALEIGH/GARNER – Stewart Wayne Pittman, 81, of Garner, passed away Saturday morning, June 4 , 2022, at Duke University Hospital. He was born at Duke University Hospital on October 16, 1940 to the late James Odell Pittman and Mary Elizabeth Evans Pittman. He graduated from Garner High School in 1958, where he was active in sports and theater and drove a school bus. After graduation, he went in the Air Force from 1958-1965 and served in the Air Police and Special Ops Forces. He was also a proud Vietnam Veteran. After many different lines of work including serving as a Raleigh Police Officer, he eventually started his own business as structural steel inspector in 1985 and he retired in 2012. Over the years, he was a youth softball coach and loved to showcase his outgoing nature in community theater performances through Garner Arts Association productions. He was a Member of the Charles B. Newcomb Masonic Lodge # 740, the Amran Temple, the Shriners, and was a Member of the Garner Chapter 321 Order of the Eastern Star. He was also a Member of the Advisory Board for the Rainbow for Girls. He was the Past Director of the Amran Wrecking Crew from 1994-1995. He was very involved with fundraising and found joy in serving the children at the Oxford Orphanage and Shriner’s Children’s Hospital. He loved Eastern-style NC (to him “the only style” ) pulled pork barbecue and the beach. He frequented his trailer at Oceanfront Court in Indian Beach and has been called jokingly by many the “Mayor of Oceanfront Court”. At the beach, he was known for his witty sense of humor, his funny t-shirts, and his popular deck where everyone gathered to visit and sit and talk awhile. He was known as a Grandpa to many and loved being called “Grandpa” and “Papa Wayne”. He was an avid Wolfpack fan and of ACC Sports in general and worked at Wolfpack events for many years. He was also equally an avid opponent of the UNC Tarheels and of ACC referees and their officiating. In 2019, he also became a Virginia Tech fan to a limited degree, since his granddaughter graduated from there and his grandson, Conner, began playing football for the Hokies. However, he made it clear, he would still pull for the Wolfpack if they ever played the Hokies, which they were set to do finally later this year in 2022. He was married to Edith Whitley and they would have celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary later this month on June 27th. He is predeceased by his parents, James Odell Pittman and Mary Elizabeth Evans Barbour; his first wife, Alice Faye Corbett Pittman and son, Stewart Alan Pittman of Atlanta, Georgia; his brothers Percy Barbour of Garner, NC; William Barbour of Raleigh, NC; Don Barbour of Cincinnati, Ohio; Frankie Barbour,of Ocean Isle Beach, NC; and sister, Mary Todd of Lakeland, Florida. He is survived by his wife Edith Rose Whitley of Garner; daughter Traci Miller “Dusenbury” (Joel) Tate of Powhatan, VA; sisters Marcia (Dwight ) Lowery of Clayton, Gail (Clyde) O’Neal of Knightdale, and Eunita Garner of Raleigh, NC and brothers Mike (Sandra) Barbour of Clayton and Dwight (Dee) Barbour of Little River, SC. He is also survived by grandchildren Haley Dusenbury of New York, NY and Conner Dusenbury of Powhatan, VA. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as numerous children of close family friends to whom he was fondly known as “Grandpa” or “Papa Wayne”. Over the years, Wayne made many life-long friendships with his Salter Path/Indian Beach family at Oceanfront Court and his Masonic lodge brothers and had many cherished family friends. Wayne also loved his beloved little black Chihuahua-Poo, Jack, and enjoyed walking his “chick magnet” on the beach when he was still allowed to go, as well as riding him around in his golf cart. The family will receive friends at the Bryan-Lee Funeral Home located at 1200 Benson Road, Garner, NC on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. The funeral service will be held at Bryan-Lee Funeral Home on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at 11:00am and the entombment will be immediately following at Montlawn Memorial Park located at 2911 S Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27603. Military honors and Masonic funeral rites will be rendered at the mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that Memorial donations be made “ In Memory of Stewart Wayne Pittman, Charles B. Newcomb Lodge #740” to either the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford /Oxford Orphanage https://my.simplegive.com/App/Giving/mhco or the Shriner’s Children’s Hospital https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/119312/#!/donation/checkout?utm_source=shrinerschildrens&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=donateheader&utm_campaign=shrinerschildrens&c_src=shrinerschildrens&c_src2=header .