Velma Arbury Stewart

Velma Arbury Stewart passed away on March 6, 2026. A retired Secretary of the Board of Commissioners of the Harbor Police Department at the Port of New Orleans, she served with quiet dedication for many years.

She was the beloved wife of the late Willie Stewart, Jr., the daughter of the late Emma Webb Bentley, and the stepdaughter of the late Earl Thomas. Velma is survived by her sister Ernestine Franklin, along with a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her sisters Thelma Pate and Waymie Jean Lewis, brothers-in-law Romalice Sherman Lewis, George Franklin, Sr., and Dennis Pate, Sr., niece Denise Pate Marco, and nephews Terrance Lewis and Semaj Lewis.