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William Frank Lewis passed away on Monday, May 21, 2007 at the age of 84. He was born in Fort Worth and attended school in Dallas. He was an industrious boy and began delivering telegrams for Western Union at 15 while attending school. He met his future wife when he delivered a telegram to her aunt. Right after Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Navy, Frank was trained as a seaplane PBY engineer / pilot and was attached as crew chief to the tenders USS St. George and USS Curtiss in the Pacific theatre. These ships served at mobile headquarters for Fleet Air Wing One. His crews duties included long-range reconnaissance, rescuing downed pilots, flying supplies and mail into Guadalcanal and bringing out wounded. Franks crew also ferried captains and admirals to meetings, giving a young Petty Officer a unique prospective on the war. Frank saw action at Tarawa, Peleliu, Munda, Tinian, Guam, Iwo Gima and at Okinawa, where he survived a kamikaze attack on the USS Curtiss. Frank shipped back home in September 1945 and married Betty Brown the next month. He continued in active service until 1950, when he took the skills he had learned in Navy Air to work at Braniff in Dallas. He continued in the Navy Reserve until 1957, when Pogo and his family moved to San Antonio. There he worked for Brown Flying Service and then for 17 years for Osborn Heirs, from whom he retired in 1984. Frank was an avid hunter and competition shooter, winning many NRA awards. He was awarded a Life Membership of NRA. He was also a gunsmith and black powder loader. He was an amateur radio operator WA5URF and was a founding volunteer #41 in 1973 of SMIRK, which supported a NASA project to bounce 6 meter radio waves off the Moon. He was preceded in death by his sister Edith Lewis Mitchell and his brother Robert Leroy Lewis. He is survived by his wife of 61 years Betty Byrd Brown Lewis, his son William Robert Lewis, his daughter Linda Anne Ewing, his son-in-law Thomas E. Ewing, his granddaughter Christina Anne Ewing-Gromoll and her husband Dr. Bernd Gromoll, their sons and numerous nephews and nieces. The family would like to thank the Vitas hospice staff for their caring support. In lieu of gifts, please send memorials to Hill Country Youth Ranch, or to the charity of your choice. MEMORIAL SERVICE SATURDAY, MAY 26 -- 3:00 PM MISSION PARK FUNERAL CHAPELS NORTH Rev. Oscar Olivares, Chaplain, officiating

Tributes

William Frank Lewis

September 29, 1922 - May 21, 2007