Gary "Mick" Michael LewisBorn 4/13/1948 in Maryville, MO
Died 9/27/2020 in Omaha, NE
Garry Michael “Mick” Lewis, the son of Kermit Edward and Eathel Mae (Vaughn) Lewis, was born on April 13, 1948 in Maryville, Missouri. He attended Daleview School up until the sixth grade, where he transferred to Fairfax R-3 School and graduated in 1966. On December 7, 1967, Mick was united in marriage to Mary Belle Irvin in Westboro, Missouri and lived in Tarkio, Fairfax and Rock Port. They became the parents of two children, Mike and Beth. They later divorced. On March 13, 1981, Mick was united in marriage to Elaine Marie McMahon in Rock Port, Missouri. They became the parents of two children: Treyton and Taya. They made their home on a farm outside of Rock Port. They later divorced.
As a child, his parents and family called him Micky. Later, it shortened to Mick, but his Grandma Rosie continued to call him Micky her whole life. Mick grew up with a big family. Two brothers: Larry and Jim, and four sisters: Joyce (Strough), Shilah (Baker), Janice (McNaughton), and Twyilla (Gibbons). They lived in the country around Fairfax the whole time. When Mick was three years old, he contracted Polio. The doctors told his parents that Mick would never be able to walk again. However, his mother didn’t accept that answer. She would boil water and Mick had to soak his legs in it every day. As his legs were soaking, he would stare up at a ship picture his mom had on the wall. He would imagine being on that ship to help keep his mind off of the fact that the water was burning hot. After the water cooled down enough to touch, his brothers and sisters would have to take turns massaging his legs. He beat the odds and was able to walk again but with one leg shorter than the other, and one foot smaller than the other.
Growing up, some might say that Mick was determined, but his siblings might call it stubborn or tough. Jim can recall many examples of when his younger brother Mick would get angry, and Jim knew to get out of his way or else you might get hurt. One example is when they were having a BB gun fight in an old abandoned house. As Jim recalls, his team “peppered” Mick pretty good. They could hear Mick getting mad and as Mick was coming upstairs to get even, Jim and his partner decided it was the safer choice to knock the glass out of the second-floor window and jump, rather than to face Mick’s retaliation.
In high school, Mick participated in football, FFA, track, annual staff, and the Junior and Senior plays. He was named the FFA Favorite Fellow. Mick enjoyed playing football the most and earned many honors. When Mick’s big brother Jim was a senior, he was nominated to the All-Star Team. That was a big honor and typically seniors were selected. However, Mick was also named to that same team as a sophomore! Many stories have been told about how tough Mick was on the football field, and that no one wanted to line up against him on the opposing team.
Mick was an extremely resourceful and hardworking man. He was a self-taught mechanic early in life as he and his brother Jim were always working on cars. During high school and shortly after high school, he worked for Tom Miller in his mechanic shop. Later, he owned and operated M.L. Repair, where he worked on tractors and automobiles. Mick then was employed by Atchison Holt Ambulance District where he worked as a volunteer on the ambulance and as Director of the Rock Port division. Mick was a service manager at Clark Ford and Krogh Implement. He also worked at the John Deere dealership in Tarkio, Missouri, called Simmons Implement. In 1985, Mick was employed by Cooper Nuclear Station, Brownville, Nebraska, as a security guard where he worked for six years.
In 1991, Mick began selling insurance for Farm Bureau in Rock Port. He loved working with people, and made many friends throughout the northwest region of Missouri. In 1995, he became the Regional Sales Manager, a job that required him to wear many hats and to travel a lot. He earned many awards for performance within his region throughout the years. Mick retired from Farm Bureau in 2018 and started raising cattle. He purchased a small herd and was partners with Squeak (Doug) McCoy. He loved being on the farm, watching his cows, and raising a garden. Mick enjoyed canning, making salsa, and cooking. Mick commented several times that the garden he planted this past summer was the best garden he has ever raised.
As a child, Mick grew up in the Fairfax Baptist Church. In 1994, he was baptized in the Rock Port Methodist Church. His most recent church was the Rock Port Baptist Church where he would attend regularly. Mick believed in life after death, and shared that with friends and family.
Mick was known for many things – he was ornery, he loved to tease everyone, he enjoyed hunting and fishing, he always had a smile, and a firm hand shake. Family was important to Mick, and he was loyal. You could always find him filming his children or grandchildren’s athletic events. He welcomed anyone to join him on his deck in the evenings. He lived each day to the fullest. Mick passed away Sunday, September 27, 2020 at Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 72.
Besides his parents, Mick was preceded in death by brother, Larry Lewis; brothers-in-law, Melvin Strough and Cecil Baker; nieces, Jerrie (Strough) Morton and Rhonda Baker. Survivors include children, Mike (Robin) Lewis, Fairfax, Beth (Jon) Graves, Fairfax, Treyton Lewis (Fiancé Thea Schulenberg), Rock Port, and Taya Lewis, Rock Port; grandchildren, Amber (James) Zumbrunnen, Baylee (Tristan) Ray, Grant, Ryan, and Max Hopkins, Jesse, Jaycee, and Braden Graves; great grandchildren, Jackson and Audrey Zumbrunnen; siblings, Joyce Strough, Fairfax, Shilah Baker, Fairfax, Jim (Chris) Lewis, Rock Port, Janice McNaughton, Bois D’Arc, Missouri, and Twyilla (Terry) Gibbons, Westboro; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
**The funeral service will be streamed live on Shawn Minter’s Facebook page.**
Funeral Service: 10:00 A.M., Thursday, October 1, 2020, Rock Port Baptist Church, Rock Port.
The family will receive friends from 5:00-6:00 P.M., Wednesday, September 30, 2020, Minter Funeral Chapel, Rock Port.
Interment: English Grove Cemetery, Fairfax, Missouri.
Memorials: Rock Port Baptist Church or Rock Port Volunteer Fire Department.
Arrangements: Minter Funeral Chapel, Rock Port.
www.minterfuneralchapels.com
Burial Location
IV-AII131
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