Joseph B. (Joe) Lewis |
| Posted 2007-01-10 by Gail Meyer Kilgore |
| Rockford Register Star, Rockford, Illinois Jan. 10, 2007 JOE B. LEWIS, 93 MESA, Ariz. - Joe B. Lewis, 93, went to his eternal rest on Jan. 6, 2007, after a long and wonderful life. Joe was born on Feb. 21, 1913, in Gold-thwaithe, Texas, as the first child of George and Ola Lewis. Joe was raised in Texas with four brothers and two sisters. Following graduation from high school, Joe attended college for two years and then served four years in the U.S. Navy. After his discharge he attended and graduated from the University of Missouri where he met and married his wife of 62 years, Joann Barnes Lewis. Joe was a teacher and a coach for 35 years. From 1945-1972 he was Athletic Director at Belvidere High School, Belvidere, Ill. Joe was a well-known sports official in the Northern Illinois and Chicago area. He earned his master's degree from Northern Illinois University. Joe had a second career at the Green Giant Company in Belvidere for 30 years as summer employment manager. He was also instrumental in founding youth baseball programs in Belvidere. Joe had an outstanding record in his coaching career and was recognized by the Illinois Interscholastic Athletic Association. In the early 1950s he was a member of the Illinois High School Rules Committee and was inducted into the Illinois High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1978. Joe was also recognized by the Century Club, a national organization honoring coaches. In addition to his teaching and athletic career, he was very active in the community affairs and civic organizations. He was a lifetime member of the Methodist Men and a charter member of the Belvidere Lions Club. Over his lifetime, Joe enjoyed bridge, golf, and was an avid sports fan his entire life. Joe was given many nicknames during his lifetime, starting with his military service when he was nicknamed "Buckets" for his problems with sea sickness. During his coaching career he was nicknamed "Beansie" by his players and was a beloved mentor to many generations of young men who continued to write, call, and visit him up until the end of his life. Joe was known for his Texas drawl, colorful language, and story-telling abilities. In his retirement at Bella Vista, Ark., "Pancake Joe" used his leadership and organizational skills to organize charitable pancake breakfasts and golf tournaments. Papa Joe, as his grandchildren called him, was a generous and loving parent to his four children and was loved by a wide circle of friends and family and will be missed by those left behind. In his later years, he faced many health issues with courage and dignity. Our beloved Joe, may you now be at peace for eternity having left the physical bonds of this world behind. Take your place beside your family that have gone before you and forever reside in God's grace and love. Watch over your family still here on earth as we will always love and miss you. We will all meet again one day. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ola Lewis; daughter, Ola Jean; wives, Joann and Virginia; and brothers, George Harvey, Glyn, Vernon, and Woodward. He is survived by his two sisters, Loyce Atchison and Vivian Bowden; daughters, Melinda (Don) Dumais and Betty Holt (Howie) Kipnes; sons, Jason (Joyce) and Tom; stepson, Joe (Starla) Saspienza; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, in Messinger Mortuary Chapel, 7601 E. Indian School Road, in Scottsdale, followed by interment in National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, on Pinnacle Peak Road, 1/4 mile east of Cave Creek Road, Phoenix. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014. See Also: Find a Grave |
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