Lewis Sylvester Plouvier

Lewis Sylvester Plouvier of Brier, Washington passed away peacefully at home on August 9th, 2021. He was 88. Lew was born to Francis and Sylvia (Shearer) Plouvier on September 14th, 1932 in Billings, Montana. He was a member of Trinity Church in Woodinville, Washington.

Lew grew up in Billings, Montana on the north side in a house near the Rimrocks on 22nd Street with his brothers Richard and Gary. Francis worked hard as a butcher at Pierce Packing Company his whole life to provide for his family. Sylvia was a home maker whose mother and sisters lived nearby in the same neighborhood. She also worked as a "Lunch Lady" with her sisters in the cafeteria at Lincoln Junior High. They kept a quiet and humble household and these characteristics stuck with Lew his entire life. Sundays were recalled as times for church and big family lunches. The family grew produce to sell to local grocery stores, giving Lew a lifelong skill and love for gardening. The brothers loved hunting and fishing. Lew was a clever fisherman and a good hunter who cultivated a knowledge of good hunting locations and "secret" fishing holes. His mother is remembered as having a keen eye for organizing the family outings and making sure the little details were not overlooked. Lew clearly carried on this attention to detail and sense of order in ways that served him well throughout his pursuits in life.

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Special Recollections from Gary Plouvier: Visits with Lew might find him listening to his current favorite song "Cab Driver", and sipping on a "Harvey Wallbanger". He was always glad of an opportunity to recite his favorite poem, "The Cremation of Sam McGee". He was also practiced in the art of the tall tale. He would start to tell a story and lead you to believe that it was just a straight retelling of a favorite anecdote. But you soon recognized the little twinkle in his eye as anticipation mounted for the final hook to the story. And then there were the not-so-subtle ones, like how the family began in Ireland where they were known as McPlouvier. We used to go pheasant hunting east of Huntley, Montana in his dark blue '58 Ford sedan, and we enjoyed watching the Sage Grouse dancing in the hills north of Billings every spring. There is a single birthday card that has been signed, dated, and exchanged between us every year since 1980 - and a few halting years even before that.

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Lew joined the U.S. Army in 1952 immediately after graduating from high school and went through basic training in Fort Lewis, Washington. He was adept at the skills required to receive an administrative posting and was attached to Joint Task Force Seven on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands in support of the atomic test program then underway. It was here that he had the dubious privilege of witnessing an atomic test from the deck of an observation ship. He apparently had some opportunity to test his skills as a fisherman there as well because he was inducted into the Coral Island Anglers during his tour. He was honorably discharged from the Army at the end of 1954 with the rank of Technical Sergeant First Class.

Upon return home Lew enrolled in classes at Billings Business College. He excelled in his work and was hired as an instructor. He met Caravenne Armstrong who was a student at the college and they were married in 1957. They had two children, Stewart and Corina (Cory), prior to their divorce in 1968. The young family lived in the Billings Heights on Sharon Lane near Lake Elmo during these years. Stewart recalls how Lew taught him to fish at some of his favorite fishing holes on the Stillwater River. He also recalls how square dancing was a passion in these and later years. They would dress up in full regalia for these events and Lew took up guitar in a three-piece band that would play during breaks in the dancing. Stewart learned to play on that guitar and still has it. Music in general was a big part of Lew's life. He became involved in barbershop singing with The Big Sky Chorus. He served as treasurer for the chorus, and also sang in a barbershop quartet. Road trips in a Mercury Comet loom large in the memories of Stewart and Cory. And as Cory puts it "hunting and fishing is just what we did". Sadly, Lew's brother Richard passed away from cancer in the summer of 1976.

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Special Recollection from Corina Plouvier: Uncle Rich was so much fun. He played semi-pro baseball at Cobb Field near the home of Lew's parents. The whole family would pack up food and walk from there to the ball park - lots of fun time under the lights. Spending time up in Columbus was full of adventure. There was always joking around, pulling pranks. I remember the poker games in the smoke-filled kitchen and the Myna birds squawking. The adults had a good time and all the kids ran around the river bottom. In the early 70's Dad honed his craft at making dandelion wine. One summer he had 15 gallons of wine going real good until he came home to find the house full of fruit flies - thousands of them. We slept in the pop-up camper in the driveway for a few days. He made the best of everything and we laughed about that for years. We saw every mile of Montana on weekend camping trips. Mining for sapphires, collecting antiques, going to Virginia City, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone. Dad loved Yellowstone. His love of the land was infectious and sharing that with him was very special.

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Lew met Shirley (Noe) Arneson, when she was taking classes at the Billings Business College, and on March 3rd, 1979 they were married. Shirley came to the marriage with four children: Larry, Charlene, Ronald, and Richard. Richard, the youngest, recalls many fond memories of being taught to hunt and fish by Lew. It has to be said this may have been driven by a need to have someone else to help bait the fishing hooks for his new bride. The family enjoyed camping trips to many different destinations including along the Yellowstone River at the ranch of Lew's cousin Don Shearer. There were also many gatherings with Shirley's family in Absarokee, White Sulphur Springs, and Yellowstone National Park. Lew continued to be involved in Barbershop singing and the trips to Virginia City, Montana for barbershop conventions in this old west mining town were a summer highlight for a number of years.

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Memories of My Dear Father - Lew Plouvier, by his son, Stewart: Dad never yelled, he always did things with purpose and quiet resolve. He was a very patient man, very gentle, very loving, even though he didn't like to admit it. My fondest memories are of the simple times, sitting on his lap, learning to play harmonica, going to the hospital with a bad ear infection, and being scared of the inevitable penicillin shot. Dad always had a way of helping me to be brave, and giving me the courage to endure. He even got me laughing so hard, I didn't feel a thing. My earliest memories were things I did with him, pheasant hunting at 4 years old, running down the ditches flushing out birds. Riding in the old car we had nicknamed drippy joe. Watching his eyes light up when he met my wife, Kathleen, for the first time, and watching the two of them carrying on at the Yakima fruit stand. I was crushed when my parents divorced, it meant that Cory and I only got to see him every other weekend. We made the most of every moment with him, and he with us as well. When I was able to move in with him a few years later, it was a godsend. I have so many wonderful memories of our little family, dad, Cory, and l. We were teenagers, and a royal pain at times, but dad was a great father, and he was there for us no matter what. Meeting Mama Shirley, Rich, Larry, Ron and Char, was and still is one of the most special things in my life. Our family, my step mom, and my brothers and sisters, a gift from God for sure! We all owe a debt of gratitude to our folks, so blessed to have them in our lives! I know deep in my heart they are together now, and at peace. So blessed! Lew Plouvier was a great man, a very intelligent man, and a very loving man. He was, and still is our dad. On eagle's wings, he's riding the sky. I love you, dad.

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The Billings Business College shut down around the same time Lew and Shirley were married and Lew found work for many years as an office manager at DJ Porsche/Audi, a local car dealership. Before retirement he was working as an office manager for a local provider in the emerging cellular phone business. In semi-retirement Lew enjoyed working part time as a school bus driver - an occupation that gave him great delight looking after "his kids" on the bus. But their favorite events were probably visits with their children and grandchildren who by now had moved away to Alaska, Colorado, Utah and Washington state - and they still did plenty of fishing in their little boat named "SHIRLEW".

Probably nothing speaks to Lew's character so much as the care he showed toward Shirley as she struggled with chronic liver disease. In 1991 she was fortunate to get a liver transplant. While she was rushed to Seattle's University of Washington Medical Center by jet, Lew made the trip in a marathon drive to be able to meet her when she came out of surgery. The months and years after this were full of sacrifice as Shirley's fragile health and immune system prevented them from doing many of the things they loved. Shirley would never again have the kind of independence she once did, and without Lew's patience and attentiveness any semblance of a normal life would not have been possible. But with care and a slower pace they were able to resume a very rewarding life. They made the long drive to Alaska one summer (caravanning with Shirley's brother Robert and his wife Jean), eventually meeting up with Stewart who lived there. This was a trip that Lew remembered with great fondness the rest of his life. Cory recalls, "Mom had a big photo album of the trip. But Dad also had an album with the pictures of him filling up the gas tank all the way to and from Alaska."

In 2001 Lew was diagnosed with prostate cancer that was successfully treated. But in 2004 he suffered a stroke that would gradually cast a growing shadow over the rest of his life. His wife Shirley instantly recognized the symptoms and he received very rapid treatment. As a result, he made a nearly full recovery with mild lingering effects that only slowed him down a little, but it was a wake-up call. His mother Sylvia had passed away in 2003, and in 2006 his father Francis died. With his brother Gary moving to Arizona there was no family connection remaining in his lifelong home town. Against this backdrop, and with growing health concerns, plans started to take shape for a move away from Billings.

In 2006 a decision was reached to relocate to the Seattle area and move into a "mother-in-law apartment" alongside their son Richard and his wife Alice. Or rather, alongside grand-children Patrick and Rebecca whose parents happened to be Rich and Alice. These were delightful busy years. They were full of time with the grandkids who "helped" grandpa with the gardening, got him to read stories, and generally took advantage of having grandpa and grandma handy. Lew loved working in the yard, and in the garage on his wood-working projects. These included diamond willow walking sticks, yard ornaments, and intricate scroll saw pieces. Rebecca recalls walks down to Bobcat Park with grandpa where he helped her learn to ride her bicycle. There were snowmen when there was snow - and grandpa getting her a better shovel to build a snow fort. Patrick was always close to grandpa when the weather was good and they could be outside. There were many road trips, weekly meals with the whole family, and many visits to and from the other children and grandchildren. Lew and Shirley also enjoyed the life of the church they came to join there. It was truly a time of many golden and joyful days.

But over time the effects of the stroke and subsequent mini-strokes began to be more noticeable. Lew was diagnosed with vascular dementia that progressively eroded his ability to do the things he loved. It was a hard providence for someone who thrived on always being in motion. In 2017 Shirley died from a fast-growing lymphoma. By this time his dementia was pronounced but he was still quite independent. Shirley's daughter Charlene had moved in with them a few years before and Charlene continued to stay with Lew to keep house and help meet his growing needs. Charlene has fond memories of watching football games with Lew, enjoying their favorite dinners together, and the nightly ritual of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Over these years Lew's care-needs continued to increase. In 2020 Lew suffered another small stroke and in the course of treating that it was discovered that prostate cancer had metastasized to his bones. The cancer was successfully contained but was not curable. He also suffered from osteoporosis that resulted in frequent back pain. But the advance of dementia was the preeminent feature of his illness in the last years of his life. In the spring of 2021, his body began finally to succumb to these ailments. It is telling that in these last months, the most effective balm for the unsettled state of mind that so frequently beset him was music - barbershop, old style country, the old familiar hymns, and some of the newer Erb Psalms that he had become very fond of. To within days of the end of his life he could still be heard faintly singing or humming harmony along with the music we played for him, until at home on the evening of August 9th, having spent the very last of his full life, he entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Lewis is preceded in death by his wife Shirley, his parents, and his brother Richard. He is survived by two children: Stewart (Kathleen) Plouvier of Wasilla, Alaska, Corina (Boyd) Howells of Kearns, Utah and their mother Caravenne Armstrong; his adopted son Richard (Alice) Arneson of Brier, Washington; three step-children: Larry (Linda) Arneson of Littleton, Colorado, Charlene Corey of Brier, Washington, Ronald (Susan) Arneson of Centennial, Colorado; eight grand-children: Kyle, Oliver, Danielle, Dalton, Morianne, Brian, Patrick, Rebecca; and two great-grandchildren: Blakely and Waylon; his brother Gary Plouvier of Globe, Arizona;

Cremation took place August 19th, 2021 at Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington. A memorial service will be held September 8th, 2021 in Woodinville, Washington under the auspices of Trinity Church. Interment will take place at Mountview Cemetery in Billings, Montana.

"Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1