Hiram Lewis Obituary

Hiram Wheeler ("Hi") Lewis, Jr. was born in Wichita, KS on February 12, 1921. He died at the age of 91 on May 13, 2012 in California. He had a long and full life, from a childhood spent in Wichita and the mountains of Colorado, to his WWII days as a graduate of New Mexico Military Institute and as an officer in the 34th Cavalry based in Ft. Riley, KS, to his retirement years in the California desert. In addition to Wichita and California, he also resided in Colorado Springs, Denver, McCoy, CO, Calgary, Al, and Fernie, BC. For 50 years, Hi was active in oil exploration from Texas to Canada and nearly all points in between. He loved the Lord, family, and friends more than anything, followed closely by an enjoyment of golf, Weller's Kentucky bourbon, John Wayne, football and looking at oil deals. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Maire Lewis; sons, Hi Lewis III (Bronwen) and Zach Lewis of Wichita, step-son Rick Merriam (Patti) of Calgary; step-daughters Janet Paul of Denver and Nancy Merriam (Skip Brunner) of Haddonfield, NJ; brothers Jerome Lewis (MarthaDell) of Denver and George Lewis of Colorado Springs; grandchildren Seth Lewis of Wichita, Hiram Lewis IV (Jessica) of Nashville, Kelsey Haddock (Jason) of Denver, Cooper Lewis of Los Angeles, Keaton Lewis of Wichita, Alex Paul of Durango, Robert Merriam and Megan Merriam of Calgary, Katie Sullivan (Jason) of Boston, Jessica Paul of Victoria, Canada, and 7 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Hiram W. Lewis and Madeline Butts Lewis, former wife, Bette Clarke, and a brother who died in childbirth...all of Wichita. A Memorial Service will be held at the Chapel of Our Savior Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs at 2 pm on June 23rd, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to Slab City Ministry (homeless and orphanage mission work), PO Box 2323, Borrego Springs, CA 92004, or to a charity of choice. He will be greatly missed.