Joseph Warren Lewis

Captain Joseph Warren Lewis US Army Retired Joseph Warren Lewis, 91, was called home on Thursday, November 10th, 2016 after a short illness. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Anna Huddleston Lewis. He was a farmer at heart who loved the beauty of God’s creation, but his greatest treasure was his family….and they all knew it! Joe was born on April 30th, 1925 in Neely, Mississippi, the eldest boy of 16 children. He graduated from Neely High School in 1944 and attended Mississippi State University from 1944 - 1946, followed by service in Korea from January 1947- July 1949. He returned to Mississippi State in 1949, graduated in 1951 and was commissioned that month as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was the first member of the Lewis family to attend and graduate from college and started a Mississippi State University tradition among his family that continues to this day. He taught at Sandersville High School and soon met and fell in love with Anna Huddleston. Joe and Anna were married for 62 years prior to her death in April, 2014. He worked for many years at Masonite Corporation, while also serving in the Army Reserve, but the family joke was that he did both of those to support his real love of farming. He was also preceded in death by his parents Jordan and Jessie Lee Lewis, his siblings Ida, Bill, Nita and Clifton, and granddaughter Jinger Myrick. He is survived by his son Mike (Patricia) Lewis of Arlington, Nebraska; son Craig (Deborah) Lewis of Sandersville; and daughter Leah (Dennis) Brown of Niceville, Florida; 12 grandchildren: Monica Brown Bondurant (Jim), Brian Lewis, Michael Paul Lewis (Erin), Robert Douglas (Jennifer), Brianna Lewis Ruelas (Todd), Amanda Lewis Womack (Eric), Melodye Brown McPherson (Bryan), Matthew Lewis (Crystal), Matthew Brown, Maxwell Lewis, McKenna Lewis, and 22 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by 4 sisters; Ike, Jewell, Marion, and Vera, and 7 brothers; J.D., Ellis, Thornton, James, Mack, Ralph and Steve. Visitation will be Sunday, November 20th, 5:00-7:00 PM at Memory Chapel Funeral Home, Laurel. Additional visitation will be held at Sandersville Baptist Church on Monday, November 21st, 1:00 PM with funeral service at 2:00 PM. Interment with full military honors will follow at Florence Cemetery, Sandersville, MS.

Joseph Warren Lewis

April 30, 1925 - November 10, 2016