Musket, Stewart F.

Stewart F. Musket, of Richardson, TX, passed away on November 19, 2014, following hospitalization for a brief illness. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather who was born in 1933 in Philadelphia, PA, the son of William and Estelle Musket. His early years were spent in South Charleston, WV, where he graduated from St. Albans High School in 1951. He attended Columbia Univ. and graduated with a BA degree with Commendation in Philosophy in 1955. He served his country as a cryptographer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and, while stationed in New Mexico, he attended the Univ. of New Mexico and received a BS degree with Honors in Chemistry in 1958. He earned an MS degree in Chemistry from Northwestern University in 1960 and began working as a chemist at the Armour Research Foundation of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago. He subsequently received an MS degree in Mathematics from IIT in 1963. A job at Texas Instruments brought Stewart to Texas where he continued part-time graduate studies. He received a PhD degree in Statistics from Southern Methodist Univ. in 1971. He was employed as a mathematician in the research laboratory of a major oil company where he also worked in planning and economics. In his final years of employment, he was a computer specialist introducing geological and geophysical workstations. After his early retirement, he worked as a consultant to IBM in Clear Lake, TX. He read widely in many subjects and was particularly interested in intellectual history and philosophy. He had a lifelong love of jazz and classical music, especially piano and chamber music. Stewart became very interested in photography and for several years was an active member of the Plano Photography Club. He was a mentor to several students through a Richardson ISD volunteer program. Stewart married Carolyn Hanson in 1959; they moved to Richardson in 1967 with their three young children. He is survived by his beloved family: Carolyn, his devoted wife of 55 years; a son, Steve Musket, and his wife, Lisa, of Plano, TX; daughters, Karen Hardman and her children, Megan and Melody, and Leanne Villanueva, her husband, Robert, and children, Maya and Kai, all also of Plano; and caring extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Fern Musket and Beverly Cabott. The family has chosen to have a private memorial service. Memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Richardson, 503 N. Central Exp., Richardson, TX 75080 (www.fumcr.com/main_giving) or to a charity of choice.

Arrangements are under the direction of
ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home
19310 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75252
214-306-6700