Druetta R Lewis

Dru was born on December 22, 1941, in Cedar County, Missouri, to Everett and Pauline Dodd. She grew up in El Dorado Springs and graduated from high school there. At eighteen she moved to Kansas City, where she worked for Hallmark Cards and later retired proudly from General Motors. She had made her home in Independence since 1977.

On December 4, 1982, Dru married Russell Lewis, and together they shared more than four decades of devotion, faith, and adventure.

A woman of deep Christian faith, Dru was a lifelong Baptist and attended Connection Point Church in Raytown. She loved crafts and sewing, and for many years was a familiar presence at the senior citizens’ craft shop in downtown Independence.

Dru and Russell shared a love of bluegrass music, traveling to festivals across the country in their motorhome, from the mountains of Colorado to the plains of the Midwest. She also enjoyed flowers, gardening, and the company of her church family and fellow crafters.

Above all, Dru loved her family. From the time she retired, they were her whole world, especially her grandchildren, who were her greatest joy. She was a devoted grandmother, and nothing meant more to her than the time she spent with the people she loved.

She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Russell Lewis; her children, Kimberly Meneses and Kevin Kitsmiller; her step-children, Anna and Jim; her grandchildren, Austin, Nina, Alayna, and Adriana; her great-grandchildren, Allexa, Elam, Xavier, and Giovanni; her sister, Eula Mae Burlison; and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Everett and Pauline Dodd; her sister, Norma Jo Lee; and her step-children, Rusty and Milbren.

The family will receive friends for visitation on Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at Floral Hills Funeral Home on Blue Ridge Boulevard in Raytown, Missouri. A funeral service will follow from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m., with graveside services at 3:00 p.m.

Dru loved flowers, and the family welcomes floral remembrances sent to the funeral home in her memory.

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.” — Matthew 6:28