Customers at Maietta Construction Co. in Scarborough looking to buy screened loam, gravel or stone dealt with one person – Willie Stewart.

Mr. Stewart, who ran the stockyard at Maietta for close to 20 years, died Sunday. He was 69.

“Everyone knew Willie,” said Peter Perry, who works at the construction company. “He was the best guy in the world. He worked seven days a week, 365 days a year. For all the ball fields, he would make a special mix for growing grass. He was the man with the formula and we don’t have it.”

Mr. Stewart, of Naples, worked nearly his whole life in construction. As a young man, he joined his father’s business, Stewart Paving Co. He was a foreman and his specialty was raking asphalt. He worked for his father for about 20 years.

Mr. Stewart also worked for his brother, Richard Stewart, at his construction-based business, RAS Enterprises. His brother also operated a gas station on Congress Street in Portland. Mr. Stewart worked for his brother on and off for 30 years. He ended his construction career at Maietta in 2012.

A son, Anthony Stewart of Portland, said his father loved his work.

“He was like a 4-year-old with a Tonka truck. He absolutely loved it,” his son said on Tuesday. “He was very comfortable, … very at home in a gravel pit.”

Mr. Stewart grew up in Portland and graduated from Deering High School in 1964. He was a standout athlete in high school, participating on the school’s track and field and football teams. According to his obituary, which is published in Wednesday’s newspaper, Mr. Stewart played semiprofessional football for the Griffin Club. He was also a professional boxer with a 9-1 record fighting at the Portland Exposition Building.

Mr. Stewart also went to school at Maine Central Institute, from which he graduated in 1965.

He was remembered this week as a hardworking man who loved his family. His son, the oldest of his five children, said he was a good father. He reminisced about his years playing football and his father cheering him on from the sidelines.

“I don’t think he ever missed a football game I played in,” his son said. “I would break through the line and run 40 or 50 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. I would catch him out of the corner of my eye waving his arms, yelling, ‘Go! Go! Go!’ He was very engaged when we went out on the football field. He was that way for all of us.”

Mr. Stewart was a passionate sports fan. He was an outspoken New York Yankees fan, and enjoyed watching the Dallas Cowboys, NASCAR and boxing. A highlight of his life was traveling to Yankee Stadium with his wife, Elaine Stewart, of Naples.

She wrote his obituary, highlighting his love of family, sports, and his dogs and cat.

“Those of us who knew Willie knew that he was a man of integrity,” she wrote in the obituary. “He was a kind, generous, and hard working man also known for his quick wit. Above all, he was a true gentleman. Willie loved life and lived it the way he wanted to.”

 

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