Douglas Stewart, 85, a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to so many in Oak Park, died Aug. 30, 2026. Born in 1940, he was the son of Arnold Stewart, who sold shoes in New York City. He credited his mother Dorothy’s financial acumen and thrift for lifting the family’s prospects.
A charismatic sales executive and Oak Park-based entrepreneur, he was a believer in face-to-face contact and flew the equivalent of 9.3 trips to the moon and back during his long career, clinching deals and forging partnerships. His success made him a kind of invisible force in American commerce. For years, if you bought toothpaste or medicine in an aluminum tube, it was reasonable to assume Douglas sold it.
His confidence and charisma propelled him to the top of his field. It also got him into mind-bending situations, like the time he convinced Donald Trump, long before politics, to autograph a pair of boxer shorts. Or when he persuaded an airport to stop a plane already moving on the tarmac so his family could board, stunning the other passengers, for whom such things were impossible. On a visit to the Pentagon, a reporter from Agence France-Presse mistook him for a U.S. senator. Knowing how he carried himself, it was an easy mistake to make.
His marriage of 55 years to Linda Sahagian was perhaps as improbable as everything else about his journey through life. Three days after meeting in Manhattan, the two decided to marry and get to know each other along the way — a bet that paid off handsomely.
Douglas is survived by his three children, Devan, Phillip and Gregory; his five grandchildren, Joshua, Connor, Logan, Graham and Nico; his daughters-in-law Valquiria and Amy; his brother, Robert; his sisters-in-law, Cynthia, Harriet, Marcia, Pat and Diane; and his brothers-in-law, Bob and Denny.
A wake will be held on Sept. 11 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home. His funeral will be held on Sept. 12 at St. Giles Church in Oak Park at 11 a.m., preceded by a visitation at 10.