VAN BUREN (KFSM) — The Van Buren Police Department said goodbye to a beloved officer on Monday (Feb. 18).
A funeral was held for 53-year-old Michael Stewart from Van Buren. He passed away Thursday (Feb. 14) after battling cancer.
Stewart served 21 years with the Van Buren Police Department. He started as a volunteer reserve officer in 1996. Officer Stewart went on to become a part-time officer in 2009, and then a full-time officer in 2011 before rising to the rank of Corporal in 2017. Corporal Stewart was a SWAT Team Member, a member of the Van Buren Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #52.
Stewart was a member, Sunday school teacher, and a deacon at Spradling Baptist Church in Fort Smith.
Jonathan Wear with the Van Buren Police Department released the following statement about Stewart's death:
It is with sadness that we no longer have Mike Stewart here with us today, but it is with joy that we know that he is no longer suffering from the horrible cancer that eventually took his life. We will forever remember Mike Stewart as kind, loving, humble, caring, and selfless. He is the kind of officer we all aspire to be, and he never wavered in setting a great example for us to follow. Until we see you again Mike, rest easy brother, we'll take it from here.