Graduating from Seymour, Missouri, he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Sater, in Mountain Home, Arkansas, June 5, 1948.
Starting their family in Seymour, they later moved to Kansas City, where he worked at Ingersoll Rand and Victor L. Phillips.
Always industrious, he built the family home at Lawson, Missouri, while he worked at the local lumberyard and Clay County Motors, in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Later he worked at Westfall GMC, in Kansas City, where he excelled, holding national records in fleet and large truck sales.
They settled in the Neosho/Joplin area in 1974, where he was branch manager of Victor L. Phillips, later opening his own business, Lewis Truck & Tractor, in Joplin, a sales and servicing business. He also worked as the head parts buyer for Goodberry's, who produced the world's largest dump truck. After retirement, he purchased Hickory Creek Plaza, in Neosho, dealing in horsetrading, primitives and collectibles. He loved music and played piano, accordion, fiddle, guitar and harmonica.
Very active in his community and church, he was pastor over 17 years at Neosho Community of Christ.
He was preceded in death by: his wife, Mary; parents; nephew, whom he raised, Kurt Parsons; and siblings, Lila Slover, Hayden Clair Jones, Thelma Massey, Luetta Parsons, Ellis Hooker Lewis, Thomas Lewis and Rita Goss.
Left behind with wonderful memories are: his children, Christy Barron (Tom), Rayville, Missouri, Julita Harris (Eddie), St. Joseph, Sam Lewis, Joplin, Sandy Hamann (Dwight), St. Joseph and Bill Lewis Jr. (Gale), Neosho; daughter-in-law, Susie Parsons Brane, Wichita, Kansas; sisters- in-law, Viola Nichols (Bruce) and Lorraine Sater, both of Colorado; 19 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews and a whole host of friends.
Services: 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2019, Ridgewood Chapel Community of Christ, 1794 Ridgewood Road, Neosho, MO.
Memorial contributions may be made to Ridgewood Chapel.
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