Stewart Kirkaldy, MD

James Kydd Stewart Kirkaldy, 86, of Middlebury, VT, died May 19, 2015. A clinical instructor in community health at Brown in the 1980s, he practiced family medicine in Westport, MA, for 45 years. Stewart was born in England and attended medical school at the University of Edinburgh. A Fulbright brought him to Fall River, MA, where he met his wife, Frances Bowen; they returned to England, where he served two years as a medical lieutenant in Yorkshire with the Royal Air Force, and he then practiced in Nova Scotia before moving to Westport in 1960. There Stewart’s practice eventually grew to become the Westport Family Medicine Center, from which he continued to make house calls into the 1990s. He also was medical director of several regional nursing homes. A recorded Quaker minister, he served for many years as the clerk of the Westport Monthly Meeting of Friends; and he served two terms on the Westport Board of Selectmen, including as its chairman. He was twice named Westport’s Man of the Year, received teaching honors from Brown for his work shepherding medical students interested in family medicine, and was honored for his dedication to the well-being and care of seniors. Upon retirement, in 2005, he moved to Middlebury; a dedicated birdwatcher, he volunteered at the Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington, VT, as well as the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. He was predeceased by his wife, and is survived by two sons, four grandchildren, and one great-grandson. Donations in his memory may be made to the Middlebury Friends Meeting, P.O. Box 1026, Middlebury, VT 05753; or to the Birds of Vermont Museum, 900 Sherman Hollow Road, Huntington, VT 05462.