Richard Lewis

Richard Brooks Lewis was born on March 15, 1931, to Margaret Brooks Lewis and Robert Kenneth Lewis in Kingston, New York. He passed away in Round Rock, Texas on June 25, 2024

His family moved around in the New York area, and he graduated from Hackensack High School in 1948 before joining the U.S. Navy as an enlisted seaman. After being encouraged by a senior officer, Dick studied to meet the criteria to be accepted in the US Naval Academy.

Dick graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1954 and attended pilot training in Texas before being stationed in Charleston, South Carolina. Here, he met a schoolteacher named Mary Jane McElrath who lived in the same apartment complex. They were married six months later on April 6, and were blessed with two sons, Richard Brooks Lewis and Jonathan Foster Lewis. For 68 wonderful years, they enjoyed a life of faith, family, and travel.

Dick served his country all over the world as an Air Force pilot, moving his family eight times. In 1970, one of his final assignments took them to Ruston, Louisiana, where he served as a commander of the Louisiana Tech University ROTC center. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after 28 years of service, starting a new life chapter at Louisiana Tech as an Assistant Registrar and then as a professor of civil engineering.

Dick and Mary Jane lived in Ruston for over 50 years and embraced the community by joining Lewis Temple Baptist Church. Dick was a member of the choir and taught in the college department for over 30 years, mentoring countless university students and teaching them to love God and be kind to others. They opened their home to students for fellowship and good food, and they stayed in contact with many long after they graduated.

After his retirement from Louisiana Tech, Dick enjoyed traveling with his wife and spending time with his children and grandchildren. In his final years, Dick and Mary Jane moved to Round Rock, Texas to be closer to their sons and their families. Mary Jane was his loyal caretaker and worked tirelessly to keep him safe, happy, and loved.

Dick is survived by his wife Mary Jane, his son Rick and wife Mindy, and his son Jon and wife Ivy, all of Round Rock, Texas.

He is also survived by five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren: granddaughter Andrea Margaret Lewis Ybarra, her husband Marc Ybarra, and great-granddaughter Drue Jane Ybarra of Cypress, Texas; granddaughter Sydney Jane Lewis of San Francisco, California; granddaughter Bronwyn Alice Kline, her husband Peter Kline, and great-granddaughter Farley Rae Kline of Santa Rosa, California; grandson Tucker William Richard Lewis of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and grandson Joshua Daniel Lewis of Round Rock, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in the name of Richard Lewis be made to Officers’ Christian Fellowship – Spring Canyon General Fund at this link: https://give.ministrylinq.com/App/Form/c7a2f45d-a257-4907-ac71-f7081d0fc4a9

A funeral service for Richard will be held Monday, July 15, 2024, at 9:00 AM at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home, 14501 North Ih-35, Pflugerville, TX 78660. Following the funeral service will be a military honors and committal service at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Cemetery