Personal style of long-time Fargo city attorney illuminated by upcoming estate sale

FARGO — As Audrey Farol walked around the north Fargo home of her late father, Garylle Stewart, also known as Gary, she confessed that the task of selling her father's belongings was not an easy one.

"There are things you can't take with you. And it breaks my heart," said Farol, who was working on Wednesday, June 12, to set up an estate sale with Kathleen Siewert, owner of Helping Hands LLC, whose company is handling the sale of items belonging to the estate of Stewart, a long-time Fargo city attorney who died in 2016.

Stewart's taste in home decor ran to French Rococo style and much of the furniture and artwork in his home at 1367 Elm Circle in Fargo reflects it.

He was also an avid collector of miniature trains, and the basement features many tiny, detailed communities and landscapes traversed by HO scale train tracks.

Some of Stewart's collection of vintage vehicles remains stored in garages, though most of the cars and pickups have already been sold and are waiting for new owners to claim them.

Many of Stewart's remaining belongings will be sold over the course of three days, starting Friday, June 14.

Part of the sale — which runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m.; Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday — will be a tag sale, meaning items will have pricetags.

However, some items will be sold to the highest bidder, with bids being accepted both at the sale itself and online at www.estatesales.org .

The bidding will continue until 2 p.m. on Sunday.

One item being sold through the bidding process is a 1946 Wurlitzer jukebox that Farol said was among her father's favorite belongings.

As of Wednesday, it remained unclear how some items were to be sold, including a painting of cupids floating amid clouds that Stewart purchased years ago after finding it in a rundown mansion in the Hollywood Hills , said to have once been home to film star Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Farol said her father's home itself will likely be sold to the city as a flood buyout, even though, she added, her father built the house on high ground so it likely wouldn't flood.

While Stewart is already well-known for the many decades he worked in the public arena, his legacy is continuing, in a way.

Farol said her daughter, Alissa Farol, now works in the city attorney's office that her daughter's grandfather worked in for so many years.

1/7: Statues representing two of the four seasons greet visitors to the home of the late Gary Stewart, a long-time Fargo city attorney. Dave Olson/The Forum

2/7: A 1946 Wurlitzer jukebox is among the items being sold by bid in the estate sale for the late Gary Stewart of Fargo. Dave Olson/The Forum

3/7: This painting in the home of the late Gary Stewart of Fargo once graced a Hollywood mansion said to have been home to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Dave Olson/The Forum

4/7: These paintings are among items being sold as part of the estate of the late Gary Stewart of Fargo. Dave Olson/The Forum

5/7: The late Gary Stewart's basement contains many dioramas of HO scale train landscapes. Dave Olson/The Forum

6/7: Audrey Farol, left, and Kathleen Siewert look over an item that will be part of a sale involving the estate of the late Gary Stewart, a long-time Fargo city attorney. Dave Olson/The Forum

7/7: The late Gary Stewart of Fargo enjoyed collecting art and other things that interested him, including vintage cars and pickups. Dave Olson/The Forum