Thomas S. Stewart, banker

Thomas S. Stewart, 72, of Newtown Square, a retired bank executive, a Navy veteran, and an amateur magician, died of a brain tumor Wednesday, Aug. 25, at the Waverly Heights nursing residence in Gladwyne.

In 1964, Mr. Stewart joined Provident National Bank as a management trainee. He rose through the ranks and in 1981 was appointed vice president of economic and investment research. When he retired in 1994, he was vice president in charge of the investment management and trust division at Provident, now PNC Financial Services.

Mr. Stewart was past president of the Philadelphia Corporate Fiduciaries Association, and formerly headed the trust and investment management division of the American Bankers Association. He lectured widely, published numerous articles on trusts and investment issues, and often was interviewed by reporters.

"He was very outgoing and had a sense of humor," said his wife, Cynthia Smith Stewart. Every Christmas, he parodied financial statements in the tongue-in-cheek "Stewart Investment Letter," which he sent to friends.

Mr. Stewart served on the boards of several organizations, including the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Philadelphia Hospitality Inc., the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, and the Gladwyne Civic Association.

A graduate of the Haverford School, Mr. Stewart earned a bachelor's degree from Williams College and later was president of the Williams College Alumni Association.

For four years he served in the Navy as a submarine tactical coordinator and patrol plane navigator. In 1962, he was aboard a Navy plane over Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, that spotted a Russian submarine. The submarine was one of three Russian vessels carrying nuclear-tipped missiles. Their discovery set off what became known as the Cuban missile crisis. Mr. Stewart received Navy commendations for the sighting.

He later was assigned to a program to train South American navies and was stationed in Colombia.

Mr. Stewart and his wife met on a blind date and were married in 1961 while he was in the Navy. The couple were world travelers and enjoyed fishing and boating at their summer home on Squam Lake in New Hampshire.

In the 1970s, Mr. Stewart took a course in magic - a lifelong interest - at the Main Line Night School. He became adept at doing tricks and performed at friends' children's parties and entertained his grandchildren. He even did tricks for the hotel staff while visiting China, his wife said, and loved being called "the magic man." "He was lots and lots of fun," she said.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Stewart is survived by daughters Kimberly LaMatia and Holly Hughes; a son, Thomas C.; a brother; a sister; and six grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave., where Mr. Stewart was an elder and trustee.