Stewart Phinizy, Iii

Stewart Phinizy III died at home on Friday, January 22, 2021.

He was the beloved husband of Laura Haskell Phinizy and the son of the late Stewart Phinizy, Jr. and Louise Hankinson Phinizy.

He is survived by his wife; their three daughters: Laura Phinizy Jones (Keith) of Washington, DC; Louise Hankinson Phinizy of Augusta, GA; and Marion Phinizy Gash (Wesley) of St. Simon’s Island, GA; his sister, Benita Phinizy Johnson of Atlanta; four grandchildren: Sarah Frances Jones, Spencer Guion Jones, Stewart Phinizy Gash, and Thomas Wesley Gash, Jr.; and several nieces and nephews.

A lifelong resident of Augusta, he was graduated from Richmond Academy and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He was a Chi Phi. An irrepressible extrovert, Stewart found his calling in sales. While in college, he persuaded Vann Brothers Peach Orchards to let him be the exclusive distributor of their peaches in Augusta. Stewart sent postcards to matrons on the Hill advertising his peach stand, located at the Pig-N-Whistle Drive-In at 15th and Hicks Streets, and began selling out of peaches almost instantly. After completing service in the Army, he continued his career in sales, and for almost 50 years enjoyed a successful career in residential real estate with Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Company. Stewart was an avid sports fan and tennis player, continuing to play into his 80’s. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, Augusta Country Club and a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where he was baptized in 1936 and married in 1965. One of his last outings was a visit to the church at the exact hour and date of his and Laura’s 55th wedding anniversary.

Stewart will be interred on the grounds of St. Paul’s Church, following a private graveside service.

Memorials may be made to the Jud C. Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s Care, 1901 Central Ave., Augusta, GA 30904; the Kanuga Conference Center, PO Drawer 250, Hendersonville, NC 28793-9977, or St Paul’s Church, 605 Reynolds Street, Augusta, GA 30901.