Fred E. Lewis

Fred Lewis passed away at his home in Longhorn Village Retirement Community in Austin, on January 4, 2017. He was the son of Fred E. Lewis, Sr. and Winnie Reed Lewis of Belton. After graduating from Belton High School he joined the 323 rd and 4 th U. S. Army Band at Ft. Sam Houston and was stationed there for two years until discharged. He was auditioned and accepted as a member of the U. S. Army (Presidential) Band in Washington D. C. but declined that offer to start his studies at the University of Texas in Austin. He graduated from UT in 1953 majoring in Economics and Business. During those four years Mr. Lewis was active and played in the UT Marching 100 Band, was President of the Band during his junior year and was elected to Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honorary band fraternity. After graduation and throughout his life, Mr. Lewis continued to be active in various bands around Central Texas. He played with and was Euphonium soloist with the Shrine bands in Waco, Ft. Worth, Dallas and San Antonio, and was active in the UT Alumni Band for many years, especially during football season. His friends and family often said Fred bled “burnt orange.”

After graduating from the University of Texas, Mr. Lewis worked for the two years for Associates Investment Co. in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee; was the Austin manager of National Electrical Contractors Assoc., and then was with the Texas Coffin Co. and York Casket Co. for 41 years in Waco and Ft. Worth. When asked about his profession Fred would reply: “I dealt in underground securities.” He had a great and unique sense-of-humor.

Mr. Lewis was a 50-year charter member of Scottish Rite in Waco, a 32 nd Degree Mason, a life-long Rotarian and a member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Lewis remained an avid UT fan throughout his life, was a member of the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council, and endowed three scholarships at the University: one for an outstanding graduate student at Belton High School; one for an athletic scholarship at UT; and another for a Longhorn Band Scholarship for an outstanding musician in that organization.

Mr. Lewis moved from Ft. Worth to Longhorn Village Retirement Community in Austin in 2010 and enjoyed his remaining years there engaging in the many activities within that community as well as at the University.

Mr. Lewis was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Sue Barcus of Waco. He is survived by his sister Jenny Lou Lewis Nimnicht of Longhorn Village in Austin, two nephews: R. Corbin Wilson and wife Barbara of Waynesboro, PA; Christopher Wilson of Oahu, Hawaii; a niece, Cathryn Reader of San Marcos; five great nieces and nephews and six great-great nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to your favorite charity; to The Bell County Museum, 201 N. Main St. Belton, Texas 76513 or the Longhorn Village Residents Foundation , memo: Longhorn Village Residents’ Assistance Fund or Longhorn Village Residents’ Quality of Life Fund; or the Longhorn Village Scholarship Fund, 12501 Longhorn Pkwy. Austin, Texas 78732.

The family wishes to thank all the staff of the Health Center at the Longhorn Village and to Austin Heart to Heart Hospice for their dedicated and loving care of Mr. Lewis during his years of illness.