Cornelius Van Leuven Stewart,

a retired attorney, died Jan. 16 of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, while on a vacation in Belize.
The Stevenson resident was 70.
Born and raised in the Eccleston section of Baltimore County, he was a 1954 graduate of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., and captain of its wrestling team. He earned a bachelor of arts from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

After teaching legal writing at the University of California at Berkeley, he moved to Baltimore and practiced law at the firm of Venable Baetjer and Howard for nearly 30 years. In 1991, he founded the firm of Stewart, Plant and Blumenthal. He retired about four years ago.

Mr. Stewart, known as Van, was a past president and board member of the Irvine Nature Center. He was a former president of the Metropolitan Baltimore Association for Mental Health and Maryland Ballet Company.

He was on the boards of the Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore School for the Arts, Parks and People Foundation and Roland Park Country School.

Services were held Monday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where Mr. Stewart was a communicant.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 47 years, the former Clare Horsley; two daughters, Clare Winston Stewart Perry and Lillie Elliotte Stewart, both of Baltimore; two brothers, Cary McHenry Stewart of Baltimore and Warren Emerson Stewart of Fort Collins, Colo.; and five grandchildren. A daughter, Jenett Ten Eyck Stewart, died in 1977.