Elly “Mimi” (Miller) Lewis, age 87, of Haughton, Louisiana, passed away after a short illness on Sunday, January 22, 2003. Visitation for Elly will be Friday, January 27 from 1:00 pm-2:30 pm at Hill Crest Memorial Funeral Home and Park in Haughton. The funeral will follow immediately, at 2:30 then conclude with interment in the Park.
Elly was born in Stuttgart, Germany on April 27, 1935, to Eduard and Helene (Hoffman) Miller. She grew up in the quaint town of Ludwigsburg and, as a young woman, worked for Salamander Shoes and the GDF Mortgage Company. She met her husband Ken in spring 1962, and they were married on December 1 that same year. Ken’s military career took them from Ansbach, Germany to Fort Hood, Texas, to Fort Gordon, Georgia. In 1968, she and Ken moved their family to Virginia and in 1970 to Illinois. Ken’s job transferred the family to their current home in Haughton in 1976, and Mom and Dad were so happy to be back enjoying the sunny South and raising their children Heidi, Ed, and Stephen. Elly happily became a United States citizen in 1979.
Elly worked for many years for Hallmark Cards at both the Barksdale Air Force Base BX and Books-a-Million in Bossier. She enjoyed traveling with her family, from seeing the Grand Canyon to visiting with Ken’s cousins in upstate New York to going back to Germany to see her family. Elly loved puttering in her flower beds and taking care of her hanging flower baskets. She loved to read all sorts of books, enjoyed watching cooking shows like The Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten. She was a big fan of many different sports, especially golf, the Tour de France, German soccer, and our local Mudbugs hockey team. Elly was on the church cleaning and Souper Saturday committees at St. Jude Catholic Church for a number of years. Her family was her pride and joy. She had a great sense of humor and loved all kinds of music, especially that of the Big Band era.
Elly is pre-deceased by her parents Eduard and Helene, her sister Doris Backenkohler, her in-laws Dr. Elbert K. Lewis and Virginia Lewis, and her sister-in-law Carol Lewis. She is survived by her loving husband of sixty years, Ken; her children Heidi Bennett, Edward (Gina) Lewis, and Stephen (Lori) Lewis; granddaughters Cara (Luke) Oliver, Krystal (Jordan) Faircloth, and Allison (Cole) Singleton; great grandchildren Dylan, Josie, Bennett, Finn, Ella, Matthew, and Markya; brother Walter (Ilsa) Miller; brother-in-law Werner Backenkohler; nephews Frank Miller, Axel Miller, and Dirk Backenkohler and their families.
Elly’s family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff at Willis-Knighton, Old Brownlee Community Care Center, Intensive Specialty Hospital, The Blake, and Pilgrim Manor-Bossier for all the loving, comforting care given to her during her times with them. We met many health care angels during Mom’s last few months and are so grateful to each of them. We would also like to give special thanks to our extended families, dear friends, Dogwood neighbors, Father Karl Daigle, and the St. Jude Catholic Church family for their love, prayers, and support. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis or the charity of your choice.
