Gary Lee Lewis

Gary was born in Pateros, Washington, to Willard and Ethel Lewis on September 14th, 1946. After a brief stint in San Francisco where his father worked inspecting fruit, the family settled in Yakima, Washington. Gary attended Hoover Elementary and Washington Junior High before beginning high school at Davis High. At Davis, Gary discovered his lifelong love of football, competition, and the joy of being part of a team. When his parents built a new home in West Valley, Gary made the decision to go to a new school and enrolled at West Valley High School. Football gave him automatic friendships that he treasured throughout his life.

Gary's love of football, dedication, and hard work were rewarded with a scholarship to Washington State University—and the beginning of life as a loyal Coug! Gary always said football got him to WSU but his fraternity, Sigma Nu, kept him there. His senior year he met his wife of 53 years, Rhea, after a football game. He said after their first meeting, "I'm going to marry that girl!", and he did just that after graduating in December of 1970 with a degree in Forestry.

Gary and Rhea made the decision to raise their family in Yakima and were delighted to have Gary's parents close by to provide support for their growing family. Gary initially went to work for the Soft Fruit Commission and eventually joined Independent Food Processors as their Sales Manager. He made wonderful friendships in the world of Washington fruit over his thirty plus years in the industry and stayed in touch with colleagues through regular phone visits.

While Gary loved his work, his greatest joy was being a devoted dad to his daughter, Angela, and son, Tyler. Gary loved being involved in all of his children's activities and was always their biggest cheerleader. He loved having the chance to be a Coug Dad while Angela studied at WSU and he quickly became a loyal Duck fan after his first visit to the University of Oregon with Tyler. Nothing made Gary happier than getting to be a "Grampy" to his four grandchildren: Aidan, Kendall, Lauren, and Lucia. He loved having his grandchildren visit in Yakima for "Coco Camp" and enjoyed their adventures in Sunriver. Gary and Rhea's holidays were spent enjoying family and making amazing memories.

Retirement brought many travel opportunities. Gary's favorite way to travel became river cruising in Europe. He enjoyed the small number of guests on the river boats and the relaxed pace of the excursions. Gary and Rhea loved traveling with friends and made wonderful new friendships on each of their trips to Europe. Gary's favorite destination was Portugal, as he loved the countryside and the beauty enjoyed at every stop. Winter visits to Kauai were also special for Gary and Rhea. He loved everything about the island and reminded everyone that there was no better place to be in winter!

Gary brought incredible joy to all who knew him and will be forever missed by his family, friends, and community.

Gary is survived by his wife of 53 years, Rhea, his daughter, Angela (Doug), his son, Tyler (Katie), and his grandchildren, Aidan, Kendall, Lauren, and Lucia.

A celebration of Gary's life will be held on January 27, 2024 at Keith and Keith Funeral Home at 1:00 with a lunch reception to follow: Memorial donations are suggested to:

Cougar Athletic Fund, P.O. Box 641602, Pullman, WA 99164-1602 Or

The Memorial Foundation, 3111 Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA 98902

To leave a memory for the family please visit keithandkeith.com