Donald Walter Lewis

Donald Walter Lewis (Don), age 92, a resident of Lillian, AL, passed away suddenly on October 5, 2020 at the Diversicare Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Foley where he was admitted for physical therapy. He leaves his beloved wife Janet Raynor Lewis of Lillian, AL; his five children: Patricia (Alan) Jones of Thornton, CO; Donald William (Joanne) Lewis of Henderson, NV; Susan Patricia of Lillian, AL; Nancy (Mark) Boruta of Panama City Beach, FL; and William J. Lewis of Lillian, AL. He is also survived by four stepchildren: Scot (Pamela) Raynor of Lund, Sweden; Keith (Mance Cuplov) Raynor of Utica, NY; Andrea Dashiell of Lillian, AL; and Dale (Dorothy) Raynor of Sauquoit, NY; and many grandchildren and step grandchildren and "greats", the nearest being step granddaughter Julia Dashiell and her three lovely children Rori, Royce, and Raynah in Pensacola, FL. Don was born in Kingston, NY to Donald Cully Lewis and Mildred Dunham, the firstborn of five children. Prior to moving to Lillian in 1991 he resided in the Troy and Dunkirk, NY areas, moving in 1964 to Utica and then to New Hartford, NY in 1977. In 1949 just before the outbreak of the Korean War he was drafted and sent to Fort Lewis, WA as a medic attached to the 2nd Infantry Division which was the only combat ready division. His rank was private but in one of his many stories he claimed to have won a sergeant rank in a poker game. A year after he was drafted, he received an Honorable (hardship) Discharge to return home to Troy to care for his mother who had broken her leg while walking to her job on a cold snowy morning. After returning home he took a job as a scheduler with Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp., first in the Troy and Dunkirk, NY areas and then in 1964 transferred to Special Metals, a subsidiary of Allegheny Ludlum Steel, in New Hartford, NY. After a plant layoff in the early 1970's, at the urging of his soon-to-be wife Janet, he took a job as a salesman for a veterinary supply company, finally putting to use a talent that everyone knew he had. This entry into sales provided the perfect opportunity for him to start his own company. With his wife Janet they formed the J. R. Raynor Co., a mail order business selling to veterinarians throughout the United States and Guam. In 1998 his stepson Dale Raynor took over the business, leaving Don to enjoy life to the fullest - card games, convertible cars, visits out of state to friends and family, and summers in Cape Vincent on the St. Lawrence Seaway. As a teenager Don made use of the local YMCA and became a very fine swimmer, something that he tried to instill in his young children when they would go to the local swimming hole. He continued swimming throughout most of his life. Drive-in movies were also a wonderful summertime Friday night event with all five children piling into the car with popcorn and soda and blankets so they could lie down on the hood of the car. The more the merrier because friends were also invited. No one was a stranger to Don. He considered anyone he met a friend and that his word was his bond. In addition to his parents, his stepmother Edith (Imhoff) Lewis and his first wife Patricia (O'Marra) Lewis he is predeceased by all his siblings Richard, Robert, Gordon William, and Barbara. Arrangements by Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home & Crematory in Elberta, AL. No memorial service or funeral is planned. If you wish to make a donation in memory of Don, please consider BoysTown.org or a charity of your choice. ARRANGEMENTS BY WOLFE-BAYVIEW FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY, INC. 25102 STATE STREET ELBERTA, AL.36530 251-986-3071 www.wolfefuneralhomes.com