Joseph Lewis

Joe went to a country school for 8 years, then to Canton MO H.S. 1937-41, then to Culver-Stockton College, Canton, MO 1942-45. After college he spent 3 months in Glacier Park, MT driving tourist buses-the red ones- to 3 hotels in MT and 1 in Waterton Lakes, AB, Canada. Following that, he worked in East Alton, IL for Western Cartridge Company until he joined the USNR V-5" program for pilot training, flying TBFs (torpedo bomber fighter), but only got as far as the West coast before being discharged in October 1945.Joe and Lillian Leslie were married March 11, 1945, and they had 62 years together before Lillians death in 2007.Lillian and Joe had 3 children, Nancy Ruth, who died shortly after birth in 1946, John L Lewis of Madison, WI, and Joann L. Curtis, husband Norman Curtis Jr, of Decatur & Swansea, IL. There are 2 grandchildren, Charles W. Curtis and wife Danielle, and Alix Anne (Curtis) Frazier and husband Ben, and a great-granddaughter Emberlynn Frazier.After discharge from USNR in October 1945, Joe and Lillian returned to Canton, MO where Joe worked for Haag Motor Company until he joined the New York Life Insurance Company, moving to Shelbina, MO where they lived until moving to Overland, Mo. Then they moved to Mexico, MO, still with NYLIC, until he was sent to St. Paul, MI as manager of the office there. In 1955, he was transferred to Decatur, IL. Joe left NYLIC in June 1966 to enter the field of real estate sales. First with L.W. Campbell & Son, then with Roby & Roby until June 1970 when he started his own brokerage firm as Joe Lewis, Realtor, with his office in the Decatur Club building for 18 years before joining Area One Realtors, and then retired in July 1993.Joe and Lillian traveled rather extensively, 3 trips to England and Europe, 1 to Spain/Portugal (Madiera), 2 trips to Hawaii, 1 to Alaska, and 3 cruises, with the last cruise trip 11,000 miles in 14 days and thru the Panama Canal. They both camped, and further traveled over most of the U.S. and Canada. Joe was remarried to Joan K. Jenkins of Decatur, IL. Joan kept the name of her deceased husband Lyle Jenkins with whom she had 2 children, Michael (deceased) and Robert Jenkins wife Cindy of Decatur. The Jenkins and Lewis families have been long time friends going back to their shared neighborhoods in the 1600 block of West Riverview in Decatur between about 1960 and 1965. Though divorced in 2009, Joan and Joe remained best friends, frequently dining together until Joes death.Joe was president of the Decatur Board of Realtors in 1976 and was active in civic affairs such as the Heart Fund, the Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees and his church, Central Christian, where he was both a member of the Keystone class and served as president of the class for several years. While a member of Keystone, and as a gesture of thank you to real estate clients and business associates, he provided Chuck Wagon Dinners, serving mule deer and elk that he hunted in Western Colorado. One year, with 125 people invited to dinner, his elk hunt was skunked, so he provided some buffalo meat from Winchester, KS. Joes philosophy as a very young man, was expressed by a plaque from the Canton MO Shapleigh Hardware Company which hung on his wall from about age of 10 until the present time. For when the one great scorer comes, to write against your name, he writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.Joe will be remembered as a person who both wanted things done yesterday, and one who believed in hard work as an important virtue.Written by Joe before his death and given minor edit by close family.Memorial services will be 1:00 P.M. Friday, September 4, 2009 at Central Christian Church, Decatur, with visitation from Noon until service time at the church. Brintlinger & Earl Funeral Home, Decatur, IL, are handling the arrangements. Burial will be in Forest Grove Cemetery, Canton, MO, at a later date.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Culver Stockton College, Canton, MO or to Central Christian Church. "
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