William Richmond Lewis III

SIKESTON, Mo. -- William Richmond "Rich" Lewis III, 39 years of age, son of William Richmond "Bill" Lewis Jr. of Sikeston and Kristin (Dahlby) Johnson of Citrus Springs, Fla., died unexpectedly while on vacation with his father in Acapulco, Mexico.

Rich was born March 20, 1967, in Sikeston and grew up there. He graduated from Sikeston Public High School in 1985, and attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. He farmed the family farm with his father for a period of time, drove trucks for Pullen Brothers and PTI and then purchased property on the big island of Hawaii, where he operated a farm and greenhouse -- growing various tropical fruits, trees and vegetables.

Rich is survived and sadly missed by his father and mother; one sister, Meredith Jane MacAulay and her husband, John A. MacAulay of Sydney, Australia; maternal grandparents, Steve and Dorothy Dahlby of Citrus Springs, Fla.; three aunts and uncles, Ralph and Martha Jane Boyer of Sikeston, Veryl and Janet Riddle of Chesterfield and Gene and Kathryn Fiese of Groton, Conn.; first cousins, Philip Boyer and Sally Lape of Sikeston, Lisa Brown of Webster Groves, David Bornstein of New York City; and many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, William Richmond Lewis Sr. and Thelma McCarver Lewis; and one cousin, David Boyer of Sikeston.

A memorial service for family and friends will be held at the First Christian Church, 1006 N. Main in Sikeston, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at which the Rev. Mary McCord, pastor of First Christian Church, will officiate.

As a memorial the family requests you hug your children and tell them that you love them.

Ponder Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.