It was only fitting that Don and Ron Stuart were inducted together into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Hall of Fame last spring.
The Stuart twins had been hard to separate even when they were fierce coaching rivals at Tinley Park and Hillcrest. They were identical twins not just in appearance but in mannerisms, sense of humor and coaching excellence. They coached together at Oak Forest for seven years before retiring together last winter. Don died Tuesday morning at 52 after a short illness.
The Stuarts went to Bremen High School and Elmhurst College, where both were standout wrestlers.
When they started their coaching careers, both had outstanding teams and battled each other for SICA conference titles. They later teamed up at Oak Forest as co-coaches.
“We found out how nice it was to coach together,” Don said last January.
“We’d been fighting for 20 years. Either he’d win the conference or I’d win. He couldn’t take a loss as well as I could. Sometimes we didn’t talk for weeks. We look at it now and think it was pretty stupid.”
Don Stuart is survived by his wife, Leslie; sons Chris, a three-time state wrestling placer and Tribune All-Academic team member, and Cody; daughters Cassie and Camryn; sister Joyce Fitzpatrick of Plainfield, and two other brothers in addition to Ron, Fred Bagagli of Midlothian and Bill Stuart of Milwaukee.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the Stone Church, 6330 W. 127th St. in Palos Heights. Visitation will be from 2-8 p.m. Sunday at Hickey Memorial Chapel, 4201 W. 147th St. in Midlothian.
