Bill D. Lewman, 85, died peacefully at his home in Baxter Springs June 3, 2022. Born March 20, 1937, in Galena, Bill was the son of Haven and Faith Lewman. They preceded him in death. Bill was also preceded in death by a daughter Misty.
Bill attended Galena High School graduating with the class of 1955. Upon graduation, Bill married his high school sweetheart, Rosalie Robertson. They moved to Baxter Springs where he lived the majority of his life. Bill and Rosalie had four children, Misty, Kevin, Jodi and Peyton.
Bill’s occupation was a maintenance mechanic for several local chemical companies, including Gulf Oil, Spencer Chemical, Vickers and 3M. He was a volunteer fireman for 30 years and served as the Baxter Springs Fire Chief for nine of those years. He also served in the Marine Reserves for six years and spent time at Camp Pendleton in Southern California.
Bill loved sports and served as baseball and softball coaches for his children’s teams. For the local Baxter Springs football and basketball teams, he ran the chains and the time clock for decades. He enjoyed cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, his real passion was following the Kansas Jayhawks, always representing Kansas University with his many Jayhawk hats and shirts, especially every morning at breakfast at Weston’s Cafe. He was especially happy to celebrate one more national championship in 2022.
Bill’s other interests were attending car cruises with his 1952 Ford, deer and pheasant hunting and serving as deacon at the First Baptist Church in Riverton. Bill was a renaissance man who could do just about anything, including building his kid’s bikes, repairing anything and working on cars.
Bill is survived by his wife Rosalie, sister Sue Bruce and her spouse, brother J.E. Lewman and his spouse, son Kevin and his spouse, daughter Jodi Stewart and her spouse and Peyton Kessler. His grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are Daylean Beery, Drew Thiele, Clinton Cheney, Colton Kessler, Seth Cheney, Christopher Stewart, Brittnie Atkins, Jax Brumback and Sydney Deane.
A celebration of Bill’s life was held Thursday, June 9 at the Derfelt Funeral Home in Baxter Springs.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Riverton First Baptist Church.