Trace's Remarks

I’d like to say a couple things about my dad as well.

I am so proud to be able to call Bill Lewis my dad. I love him so much. Since he passed I’ve been sorting through a treasure trove of rich memories of him as a father. I could probably talk about him for hours and relate all sorts of silly stories and meaningful times. I won’t though, but I wanted to share some things that I’ve been thinking about. First and foremost Bill Lewis was the coolest, most loving Dad. As a father he was very loving and caring and an incredible amount of fun, while still being a strong and admirable leader. He portrayed as a father, and a man, that perfect blend of confidence and humility that endeared him to his children and all that met him. He loved spending time with his kids and instilled in us a love for adventure by always including us in his activities. He was above no chore and worked incredibly hard professionally and even more so at home. He always had time for us and loved to include us in all his vacations and adventures. Whether it was camping, boating, traveling all across the country, going to his beloved Historic car Races, he enjoyed including the family in all of his hobbies and interests. My dad really was the coolest. You know when you’re young and kids would say my dad could beat up your dad, well the coolest thing about my dad is he wouldn’t have wanted to have beaten up any ones dad, but he was a Jet Fighter Pilot and a racecar driver, so…as far as tough, cool dad’s go, I win…and if he wanted too, he probably could have beat up your dad.

I’d also like to talk a little about the end of my dad’s life. As long as I’ve been alive my dad’s been sick with diabetes, although you wouldn’t think about it until he would take his insulin shot and then you would be like, “oh yeah, my dad has diabetes.” When I was young he would love to scare me by telling me that he was going to give me a shot too, but luckily he never did. It was his way of defusing the seriousness of the situation and being strong in the face of hardship. He didn’t let his disease dictate his life or his demeanor, even up to the very end. Of course throughout the years he had a myriad of other health problems in relation to his diabetes and fought courageously until the very end. I would like to thank him for fighting so hard. He was a fighter. I was married to my wife last July and it was a miracle that he was able to travel to Seattle to be in our wedding. It’s something I’ll always be thankful for. There was a lot of pain in the end and numerous serious events that kept the family always worried that the next call or text would be the dreaded news. With so much pain it sometimes made us wonder where’s the meaning in fighting so hard when the battle was often seemingly hopeless and the pain so excruciating. I’d like to share with you that last time I saw my father he expressed to me that he was at peace with his life and that he felt extremely fulfilled. He lived to see all his kids married and with families of their own. He told me how proud he was of me and all his kids and I’d just like to say how proud I am to be his son. It brings me great peace that he said things to me, knowing that he felt he wasn’t long for this world and wanted to share what was in his heart with us. I love him so much and I treasure all the time I spent with him. I’ll always love and miss my dad.