Stewart Knowlton Gibson III, 1948–2026, was ‘pioneering in how he lived life with cerebral palsy’

Stewart Knowlton Gibson III—known affectionately as “Stew” and “Stewie”—passed away from pneumonia on June 4, 2026, at the Winchester Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Winchester, MA. He was 78.  

Stewart was born in Boston on May 10, 1948, to Priscilla Alden Plumb Gibson and Stewart Knowlton Gibson, Jr. He was a 1968 graduate of the Charles River Academy in Cambridge, MA. From there, he attended the Automation Training School and the Electronic Computer Programming Institute, both in Boston. After a few stops along his career path, Stewie joined Whole Foods Market in 1995, where he quickly became a core team member until his retirement in 2014. Stewie lived in Waltham most of his life, moving to Wakefield in his later years. He truly enjoyed life at Brightview Senior Living in Wakefield, and had great fondness for the friends he made there.

Stewie, with the support of his parents, was pioneering in how he lived life with cerebral palsy, pursuing education, sports and a career. He grew up in the Piety Corner district of Waltham, which was a close-knit neighborhood full of activity, from ballgames to holiday caroling. Stewie was an active member of the Garden City Recreation Club out of Newton, MA, and in 1978 competed in the first National Cerebral Palsy Games held in Detroit, where he won 5 medals in 6 events consisting of discus, precision softball, 60-yard dash, bowling, and the shot put. He was a massive sports fan, knew all the stats, predicted results and held season tickets to the Celtics and the Red Sox. Stewie became a bit of an icon around Fenway, especially in Section 40. Ballpark staff, fellow season ticket holders and vendors greeted him with jovial warmth—and he loved passing that small celebrity status on to whichever niece or nephew he’d brought along, which started the moment they turned onto Yawkey Way. Growing up his home was full of music, which fostered an appreciation that he held throughout his life. He had an analytic mind, and was a force at strategy games such as bridge; he enjoyed games in general, especially cribbage and bingo with his friends. Stewie thrilled at being in on a joke or ruse, his big, brown eyes sparkling with warmth and humor. Stewie loved his family, especially enjoying holiday gatherings and celebrating his birthday. 

Stewie is survived by his sister Lucinda (Cindy) and her husband Rodney Sargent; his brother-in-law Paul Somers; his nephews, Nathan Sargent, Matthew Somers and Jeffrey Somers; and his nieces, Jennifer (Somers) Moon and Elizabeth (Somers) Curran. He is also survived by several grand-nephews and grand-nieces: Sydney Moon, Adeline Moon, Riley Sargent, Samantha Curran, Caitlin Curran and Patrick Curran. He was preceded in death by his sister, Deborah “Debby” Somers and his parents.

Special thanks go out to the staff of Winchester Nursing and Rehab, for their kindness and caring toward the end of Stewie’s life, and to the staff and his friends at Brightview Senior Living of Wakefield, who made a difference in Stewie’s life every single day he was there and beyond.

Stewart’s life will be celebrated at McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield on Saturday, July 11, with a visitation from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. service, on-site. His burial will be private and immediately follow, at Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham, MA.