Jim Lewis

(From Derfelt Funeral Home)

Jimmie “Jim” Lowe Lewis, 89, beloved husband, father and grandfather of Columbus, Kansas, went to be with the Lord on January 17, 2026.

He was born in Ash Grove, Missouri on May 7, 1936, to A.O. and Violet Lewis. The Lewis family was one of strong faith and very active members of Zion Baptist Church. At the age of 9, Jim and his best friend, Marvin Earl, committed their lives to Jesus Christ during a revival service there.

Jim graduated from Jasper High School before earning a football scholarship to attend William Jewel College in Liberal, Missouri. He later earned a masters degree in history from the University of Kansas in Lawrence.

Jim served his country by enlisting in the Army Reserves at age 20, with a stint of active duty at Fort Leonard Wood in 1957. It was during this time that Jim began to wonder what the future held for him, and he would often walk the parade grounds late at night praying and seeking the Lord’s guidance. At home one weekend, Jim visited his high school superintendent and was offered the position of history teacher and football coach.

During this time, he received a letter from a godly young woman, Judy Woods, who was still at William Jewel. She and Jim married on May 24, 1959, and settled in Jasper, Missouri. Jim was promoted to school principal in Jasper, then the family relocated to Lawrence, Kansas where he continued to teach history and coach football. During their time in Lawrence, Jim and Judy were blessed with their two daughters, Jill and Jindy.

1969 saw a change in careers as Jim went to work for the Bureau of Lectures, traveling through seven Midwestern states, booking school assembly programs. Later, the family relocated to Missouri to be near his widowed mother, and Jim became the Superintendent of Central Christian Academy in Joplin with an enrollment of approximately 200 students.

After taking a position as an interim pastor of a small church in Hallowell, Kansas, God put it upon his and Judy’s hearts to start a church in Columbus in 1987. He continued to lead the congregation at Columbus Christian Center until the Lord called him home, nearly 40 years later.

God also led Jim into the mission field, with his first overseas trip to Honduras in 1989. The following year, he made the first of 26 annual trips to Panama where he was the primary speaker at the Guymi Indian Convention in the jungle-covered mountains of the Chiriqui Provence. Other trips, 44 in all, took Jim and his team to Cuba, Bolivia, Russia and Peru.

Jim’s life took a dramatic turn in 1997, when his wife of 38 years passed away. Later that year, God directed Jim’s path through mutual friends to Jeanne, who had two grown sons and operated a Christian home daycare in Carthage. She became what the Bible refers to as the “latter rain” to Judy’s “first rain,” and Jim as the common ground, for God’s purposes and plans to be carried out in their lives. Jim and Jeanne were married on August 1, 1998.

Jim was known to be a man of his word, of integrity, for his caring and generous heart, and his willingness to help the sick, the hurting or anyone else in need. He felt most fulfilled when he was led by the Lord to what he referred to as “God appointments” and in generous giving from his “God pocket” to meet the needs of those around him.

Jim loved browsing Christian bookstores, foraging for material for sermons that encouraged and challenged his congregants. He believed himself to be a blessed man, receiving the call to become a pastor at age 50, and thanked the Lord for having a plan for his life that was beyond what he ever could have imagined for himself.

Jim’s life scripture was Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Those of us who saw our beloved Jim finish his race know this to be true. After Jim’s passing, we became aware that he volunteered to be an organ donor…one last example of his generosity.

Jim was preceded in death by both of his parents, his little sister Jewel, and his first wife Judy. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Jeanne (Taylor); his daughter Jill (and Russ) Cruzan and their children Julia, Jessica and Jenna; his daughter Jindy (and Curtis) Hight and their children Nathan and Landon; his additional grandchildren through Jeanne—Charlotte, Henry and Max; and nine great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, January 29 from 6-8 PM at Derfelt Funeral Home in Columbus, Kansas. Funeral services will be held at Columbus Christian Center on Friday, January 30 at noon, followed by burial at Mitchell Cemetery in Jasper, Missouri.