Forrest W. Lewis

Forrest W. Lewis, Jr., 94, passed away Sunday, December 10, 2017. Born in Louisville, Forrest was a child of the Depression with all that entailed. He spent most of his life working, including selling newspapers and working on his grandparent's farms. A graduate of Male High School, he spent two years with the freight office of the L&N Railroad. With the outbreak of World War II, he joined the United States Army and was assigned to the Army Air Corps with which he flew single and twin-engine aircraft. Charles De Gaulle sent student pilots to the United States and Forrest Lewis taught them to fly. He was serving in Del Rio, Texas in preparation for being sent to the Pacific when the war ended. Forrest came home and went straight to Purdue University from which he graduated in 1949 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He then began his career with Texas Gas where he supervised the running of drilling rigs, developed gas storage reservoirs and was Director of Gas Storage and vice-president of Texas Gas. The day following his retirement from Texas Gas in 1985 he began as a consultant with TXG Engineering, working primarily in Denmark. He continued as an international consultant in Gas Storage for Kieffer Pressure Control Corporation through 1998. As a member of the American Gas Association he served on several AGA committees, including chairman of Underground Storage of Natural Gas and received its Silver Award of Merit. A former director and vice-president of the Kentucky Oil and Gas Association, he was awarded the KOGA Service Award.

Forrest was a devoted member of Settle Memorial United Methodist Church. His commitments included participation in six mission trips, serving 18 years as assistant scout master to Hazen Dean of Troop 24, two terms on the Board of Trustees, chair of the education building renovation committee, most boards and committees, and was perpetual song leader and twice president of his Open Door Sunday school class. He was preceded in death by his wife Marian Lewis, his parents Forrest W. Lewis, Sr. and Della Whitehead Lewis, a son Larry Lewis, his sister Lucy Dale Thurman, and his brothers John Paul Lewis and Richard E. Lewis.

He is survived by his son Forrest Lewis, III and his wife Kendra of Indianapolis, his daughter Becky McCarty and her husband Tom of Orland Park, IL, his grandchildren Melissa Lewis of Indianapolis, Michael McCarty and his wife Krista of Traverse City, MI, and Shannon Everley and her husband Terry of San Francisco, and his great -granddaughter Lucy Everley of San Francisco.

The funeral service, officiated by Dr. Glenn Sowards and Rev. Keith Switzer, will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday at Settle Memorial United Methodist Church. The family of Mr. Lewis will receive friends from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory and after 9:00 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Entombment will be in Christ Chapel Mausoleum at Owensboro Memorial Gardens. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the memorial fund of Settle Memorial United Methodist church.