Gene Lewis

When he was young, he rode a Paint horse named Dusty, listened to Gene Autry on the radio, and teased a little red-headed, eight year old farm girl named Mary Margaret. In his silver years, he rode my horse Whiskey, listened to the radio turned up pretty loud, and was married to little Mary Margaret for just a few weeks short of 55 years. In all those years in between, Gene Lewis had grown up to be my dad. These are a few things I know about him. He was rough-cut but solid. He was tough but fair. He had high expectations of everyone he knew but he had the highest of himself. He set a bar that was hard to reach but at least we could see it. Dad led a distinguished military career and led his family in the same way. He taught Mom how to drive when she was 17 in the in-field at the state fair and how to back a boat trailer in the water without losing the car. He taught me how to yo-yo and to skip across a room when I was five; he was wearing nothing but a bath towel around his waist. He also taught me to tie my shoes. He taught my brother Greg, how to string a night crawler on a fish hook and shoot a deer. He taught my sister, Susie, life lessons so her path would lead her to a peaceful and productive adult life. She has attained that and Dad was proud. My mom and brother and sister and I are privileged to have served with Dad. He led us in the best way he knew how, and he would be honored that his leadership and life lessons will be present in the lives of his grandchildren-Meredith England Potter, Courtney Duell, Sean England, Royce Funk, and his great grandchildren, Jake Francis Potter, Ava Caroline Potter, Mikayla Rene England, James Allen England, Kylie Shea Duell, and Dylan James Duell. We will tell them one day, that he was a great man.