WesPak’s Bill Stewart was ‘old school produce man’

Bill Stewart, a founder of WesPak Sales, Dinuba, Calif., has died.

Stewart, who started his produce career in 1956 and retired in 2000, died Jan. 1. He was 90.

Stewart’s first industry job was at Turlock Fruit Co., Turlock, Calif., before he moved to Pacific Fruit & Produce, Kingsburg, where he worked 24 years and was a divisional supervisor.

From 1980 to his retirement, he was at WesPak, and worked with his father and sons, Jim and John.

“Both my brother John and I had the privilege of not only having him as our father but working alongside him for over 30 years,” Jim Stewart, domestic sales manager at Paramount Export Co., Kingsburg, said in an e-mail.

Jim Stewart described his father as an “old school produce man.”

“He wanted to meet people face to face and a deal was secured with a handshake,” Jim Stewart said in the e-mail. “His word was his promise, he led our family and business by treating people, both in business and in life with fairness, integrity and honesty.”

Bill Stewart served on the Fresno State Ag Governing Board for 20 years, and in 2000 was the first non-Canadian to receive the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s Honorary Lifetime Membership Award. In 2009, the Kingsburg Chamber of Commerce awarded him its Gold Seal Award in recognition of his contributions.

“He loved the produce business, and his partners and customers he called friends,” Jim Stewart said in the e-mail. “He was loved by many and will be missed.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the church where he was a deacon and a member for 50 years: Kingsburg First Baptist Church, 1615 Draper St., Kingsburg, CA, 93631 (559-897-3310). Donations can also be made to Kingsburg Community Assistance, 1139 Draper St., Kingsburg, CA, 93631 (559-897-4567).