STUART, JR., Joseph Alexander (Jeb)

Vistoso Funeral Home, Oro Valley, Arizona Joseph A Stuart May 4, 1922 - May 23, 2014 Colonel Joseph Alexander (Jeb) Stuart, Jr. Colonel Joseph Alexander Stuart, Jr. of Newport Beach, CA, passed away May 23 after a brief illness. Born May 4, 1922, to Col. Joseph Alexander Stuart Sr. and Florence Warren Stuart of Carlisle, PA, he earned his military flying wings in Oct. 1942. He attended West Point, earning the nickname “Jeb” (after the Civil War general) when he fell from a horse. After early graduation in 1943 due to WWII, Jeb served as a B24 pilot in the South Pacific as part of the 90th Bomb Group, the famed “Jolly Rogers.” Bearing the sinister insignia of a skull with crossed bombs on the tails of their planes, the Jolly Rogers destroyed critical shipping routes and oil storage facilities in New Guinea, the Philippines and Japan. By the end of WWII, Jeb had completed 58 combat missions. Jeb’s distinguished 30-year career in the US Air Force included service as ROTC instructor and professor of air science and tactics at the University of Miami (1948-1952) and public information officer for the Tactical Air Command at Langley Air Force Base (1957-1960). He attended the NATO Defense College in Paris, France (founded in 1949 by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for training senior NATO staff), and served as wing commander at Howard Air Force Base in the Panama Canal Zone (1968-1971). Following his retirement from the Air Force, Jeb began a new career as air quality inspector for the County of Riverside in 1972. He served as executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District from 1977-1986 and is still nationally recognized for his leadership in the field of air pollution control. After retiring from SCAQMD, Jeb worked for many years as an air quality consultant for numerous companies and industry groups in California. Jeb played basketball in high school and was an ardent, low-handicap golfer for most of his life. He excelled at bridge, with master points to his credit, and was a fan of league and tournament bowling and tennis. Jeb leaves his daughters Christine (Bruce) MacFarlane of Santa Cruz, CA, and Julia (William) Young of Tucson, AZ; stepdaughters Susan and Shelley Menning of Newport Beach, CA; and granddaughters Lauren MacFarlane Romano of Wilmington, NC, and Marina Cahill of Newport Beach. He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley Stuart and survived by his ex-wife Marjorie Menning Stuart and many cousins from the Pennsylvania area. Services will be private. Donations may be made in Jeb’s name to the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org), the Air Force Aid Society (www.afas.org), or the organization of your choice. Jeb lived a long, full and accomplished life, though not without its challenges, and was happy ’til the end. Through it all, he maintained a positive, engaged outlook and was a loving supporter, confidant and mentor to family and friends alike. We’ll miss you, Jeb. Keep smiling!