Donald A. Lewis

SUN CITY - Donald A. Lewis, 79, passed away, March 4, 2012, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, following a fall in his home in Sun City. Don was born on May 22, 1932, in Locke Township, Ingham County, Mich., to Wayne and Charlotte Lewis. He grew up in Bancroft, Michigan and graduated from Durand High School, Durand, Michigan in 1950. Don entered the U.S. Air Force in 1951. In 1958 he attended Officers Candidate School and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant upon graduation. In 1961 he received his navigator wings. He flew 275 combat missions in Vietnam in the AC-47 gunship. In 1967, he was assigned to U.S. Strike Command (now U.S. Central Command) at Tampa, Florida where he served as Command Navigator. During his 25+ years of service, he received numerous medals and awards including the Meritorious Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, and Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters. In 1971, Don completed his Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Tampa. In 1976 he retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel. He is survived by his wife, Eugenia (Jeannie), whom he married Dec. 28, 1969, at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla. Besides Jeannie, he is also survived by his three daughters and their husbands, Sheryl (Sheri) and Duane Wyatt of Rancho Cordova, Calif., Kathleen (Kathy) and Charles (Chuck) Knoche of Loomis, Calif., and Bonnie and Mike Jorgenson of Bennett, Colo.; seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren; his sister, Jean Husted of Corunna, Mich.; and five nieces and three nephews, plus quite a few cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents and his two brothers and their wives, Jack and Lois Lewis and Clark and Nancy Lewis; and his brother-in-law, Kenneth Husted. Don and Jeannie loved to travel by recreational vehicle and visited many interesting places. Their trip of a lifetime was their trip to Alaska by ferry and returning by way of the Alcan Highway in a very small RV in 1993. The trip lasted almost two months. They bought many older RVs and Don loved remodeling them when they weren't traveling. Once a RV was perfect according to Don, he was ready to sell that one and start all over with a different one. It was a tie as to what he enjoyed more----traveling or remodeling. In his later years, Don enjoyed using the Bell walking pool, reading spy stories, and watching Michigan sports on Satellite TV. Recently, Don and Jeannie had moved to a new home and Don was enjoyed making minor revisions to it. Visitation will be Friday, March 9, 2012, at Menke Funeral Home, 12420 N. 103rd Ave, Sun City from 4:30 to 6 p.m. A celebration of his life will be held at First United Methodist Church, 9849 N. 105th Avenue, Sun City, Ariz., on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at 11 a.m. The family suggests that instead of flowers that donations be made to the Marion Thompson Fund at First United Methodist Church. Please visit www.menkefuneralhome.com to leave condolences for the family.