William Lewis

BATON ROUGE, La. — William Merlin “Dub” Lewis was born in Lilbourn, Missouri, to a large farming family, one of eight children. His own father was one of nine boys. He attended school in Lilbourn.

Dub entered into the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II.

Upon returning, he married his sweetheart, Ivadell Crawley, and began his career in farming in 1945 in Lilbourn and Essex, Missouri. They moved their family to St. Louis for a few short years due to hard times. There he attended Pentecostal churches pastored by pastors Harry Branding and Johnny Buckmiller and began his ministry as a Pentecostal preacher.

In 1961, Dub returned to Essex to continue farming and ministry. In 1968, he and Ivadell moved back to Lilbourn to farm and became the pastor of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church, where they had begun their Pentecostal experience in 1946.

Upon retiring in 1989, he moved to Baton Rouge, where his brother’s family and three of his children already were residing. There he began another career: investing and managing his own real estate.

He loved people and was proud to be an honorary deputy sheriff of Ascension Parish and honorary sheriff of Satsuma, Louisiana, where he resided the last year of his life. His priority continued to be in the service of the Lord at First Pentecostal Church.

Visitation will be from 7 until 9 p.m. today at First Pentecostal Church, 2828 Jones Creek Road in Baton Rouge. Visitation will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday, and continue until the service at 11 a.m. Interment will be in Resthaven Gardens of Memory.

Dub is survived by his sister, Wanda Vaughn of Baton Rouge; his five children, Garry (Gayle) Lewis, Lanny (Valerie) Lewis, Sherry (Darrell) McCoy, Sheila (Tom) Goins and Kimberly (Mike) Gibney; grandchildren Carrie, Drake, Benjamin, Joshua and Natalie, all children of Garry Lewis; Luke, son of Lanny Lewis; Michelle, Joel, Shara, Nathan and Jonathan, all children of Sherry McCoy; Krystal, T.J. and Kayla, all children of Sheila Goins; and Daniel, Samuel and Josiah, all children of Kimberly Gibney; great-grandchildren Hunter Dexheimer, Lydia Parascandolo, Jordan Lewis, Madison Lewis, Caullin Lewis, Anna Lewis, Judah Lewis, Micah Lewis, Iva Lewis, Colston Deagano, McKyla Tuttle, Savannah Tuttle, Lewis Tuttle, Eden Tuttle, Jathan McCoy, William McCoy, Aubrey McCoy, Justus Powell, Zoey Powell, Jazlynn Powell, Esra McCoy, Paisley McCoy, Charlie Matthews, Christian Goins, Isabella Matthews, Ava-Claire Matthews, Louis Duncan and Millie Duncan.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Edith Ivadell Lewis in 2013; his parents, George and Bertha Lewis; sisters Helen Benthal, Dona Tinsley and Omigene Brower; brothers George, Nathanial and Charles Lewis; a grandson, John Garry Lewis; and great-granddaughter, Vera-Grace Tuttle.

Family and friends may sign the online guest book or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.

Arrangements were by Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Funeral Home.