Leland Leon Lewis

 Leland Leon Lewis, 97, of Chubbuck, Idaho, passed away on January 24, 2025. He died quietly surrounded by his family. 

He was born on September 1, 1927, the eighth child of fifteen to Laura and Leo Lewis in Tyhee, Idaho. A favorite treat to eat in the family was to eat bread, cookies, cakes, anything, with a sprinkle of sugar and soaked in milk or cream. This delicacy continued to be his favorite throughout his life. He was also known for his love of ice-cream, perhaps the secret of his longevity.

Leon always wanted to excel in the things he did. Starting at six years old he wanted to be a Derrick Horse Driver and succeeded by the time he was eight years old. As he got older, he developed at strong work ethic. He had a great talent to make things out of nothing when there was a need. He made stoves for family reunions, heart shaped bread pans, tables for sewing and serving – so many more things. Just give him a piece of wood or metal and there you have it. 

Having a great desire to serve his country, Leon joined the Navy when he was 17 years old. He served in World War II as a quartermaster but worked a lot as a helmsman on the ships he served on. He was assigned to the USS PC 814, USS Rockbridge 228, USS Lubbock 197, and USS Dipper 357. He served in the Asiatic -Pacific Campaign.

After he was honorably discharged, he began to work in the HVAC industry, working for different companies until he started his own family HVAC business, Lewis Mechanical, with two of his brothers, his sons, and nephews. 

In 1951, his sister, Leona, introduced him to Eileen Sims and after a short courtship married her in Vancouver, BC on October 4, 1951. They had six children.

In 1991, he retired from Lewis Mechanical and spent the next few years serving 3 missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with his wife, Eileen. They were responsible for and spent many hours recording documents for the church’s family history center. They recovered waterlogged records from basements of municipal buildings that were affected by hurricane Katrina. Leon developed a drying mechanism that allowed them to rescue those records. After being released from their missions they also spent many hours doing family history work for their own family as well as helping members of their stake and ward.

Leon was predeceased by his loving wife, Eileen, on March 2, 2024, his parents, brothers and sisters. He is survived by his children Barry (Cindy), Richard (Debbie), Loren (Carolyn), Kary (Marilyn), Lori, and Kadeen (Paul). He is also survived by his sister Lorna (Chad) Eskelsen of St. George and many other loving relatives and friends. Leon had 47 grandchildren, 61.8 great grandchildren, and 2 great great grandchildren.

There will be a military graveside service, in his behalf, on Thursday, February 6, at 3:00 pm, at Restlawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 2864 S. 5th Avenue in Pocatello. The family requests no flowers.

Memories and condolences may be shared using the guestbook below. 

Lewis Family Reunion Link:  https://www.facebook.com/share/1DPqvcqYDs/?mibextid=wwXIfr