Edris Wynsome Stewart

Edris Wynsome Stewart was born in Drapers, Portland, Jamaica in 1951 to Edith Duggan Stewart and Levi Stewart. She was the third of their eight children and the eldest daughter. Edris passed away on Friday, October 18th, surrounded by her family at home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Edris was as brilliant and inquisitive as they come. A voracious reader, she read every book and magazine within reach. Edris was equally curious about the flowers in her grandmother’s garden, her father’s carpentry, and the insects in her yard.

That brilliant young woman graduated at the top of her class at Titchfield High School and matriculated to the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. She completed her studies in 1974 graduating with a degree in economics and forming a number of steadfast friendships along the way.

After graduation, Edris became a civil servant–working as the lead statistician at the Jamaica Census Bureau while living an effortlessly cool life in Kingston. At the urging of her mother, and at the last possible minute, Edris immigrated to the United States to Boston, Massachusetts in February 1980. Edris later moved to the Washington, DC metro area where she met her ex-husband Oliver Ndimbie. They wed in 1985 and had three beautiful children together.

Edris moved to Pittsburgh in 1989 and it became her home. She fulfilled multiple roles within the community such as PTA parent, real estate agent, and tutoring volunteer. During this time, she became a member at First United Methodist Church, where she made friends that became as close to her as family. Edris especially delighted in nurturing close relationships within her family, regularly traveling to their homes across the country and also hosting them in Pittsburgh.

Edris’ advice line was always open. She fielded questions from friends and family members on a range of topics, the most frequent being cooking, gardening, and conflict resolution.

At age 69, as Covid raged on, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma–a terminal brain cancer. She underwent two craniotomies, and multiple rounds of chemo and radiation. Edris lived with glioblastoma. She planted three spring gardens and consulted on a fourth; took dozens of flights to visit her family members, old friends; and traveled to many new places.  Edris continued to guide, laugh, learn, wonder, shine, teach, and inspire. 

Edris is survived by six siblings Joseph, Levi, Herma, Calys, Carl and Claude; her three children Yajeh, Ngani, Nginyu; loving nieces and nephews, and countless friends. Edris was preceded in death by her sister Rosemary and her parents, Edith and Levi. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made in her honor to the Pittsburgh Prison Book Project  or by bringing a children’s book to her service to be donated to an elementary classroom in need. A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 1:15 pm.

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