Henry Lewis

Henry B. Lewis passed away in Austin on Wednesday, August 31, 2011. His loving wife of 64 years, several of his children and grandchildren were at his side.

A rosary will be said at OakCrest Funeral Home at 7:00 pm on Monday, September 5. Services will be Tuesday, September 6 at 10:00 AM at St. Louis Catholic Church in Waco with Monsignor Mark Deering presiding. He will be interred at Waco Memorial Park. The family will receive visitors from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday at the funeral home.

Henry was born on June 19, 1922 in Detroit, Michigan and moved to San Antonio in 1939. In 1942, he entered the Army Air Corps and served as a P-51 pilot in the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron during World War II. He was honorably discharged in September 1945 and returned to San Antonio where he met Lottie T. Molberg who was in Nurse's Training at Santa Rosa, Hospital at the time. They married on June 18, 1947 in Fredericksburg.

Henry joined Central Freight Lines in San Antonio and in 1953 was asked by Central's president, R. H. Linam, to move to Waco to take over the safety program for the company. He moved his wife and five children to Waco in 1954. His last two children were born in Waco.

Henry had a long and distinguished career at Central Freight Lines retiring in December 1987. During his time with Central, Henry aggressively promoted safety. He spent long hours on the road investigating accidents, checking on drivers, and holding safety seminars. He was instrumental in beginning the Tenth of a Century Club that celebrated Central employees who went 10 years without a preventable accident. He also rewarded employees who went a year without an accident by taking them on a deer hunt near Fredericksburg. He gave up every weekend in November and December for years to honor these employees. During his tenure, Central received numerous safety awards and one of his drivers was named National Driver of the Year. Henry received American Trucking Association's National Safety Director Award in 1976.

Henry was active in the community and served as president of the Reicher Catholic High School Board from 1969 to 1971.

After retiring, Henry remained active serving as a safety consultant to several companies in Texas. He helped to organize a reunion of the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in Dayton, Ohio in 1983. These reunions continued each year in various cities in the U. S. for several years. Henry remained the secretary and treasurer for the Squadron until his death.

Henry was preceded in death by his father, Alexander J. Lewis and mother, Irene Alber Lewis. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lottie Molberg Lewis; two sisters, Margie MacKenzie of Livingston and Betty Rourke of Nashville, Tennessee; seven children, Keith Lewis of Richardson, James Lewis and his wife Eileen of Westphalia, Katherine Lewis of Austin, Teresa Evans and her husband Charles of Kyle, Elaine Blair of Waco, Jon Lewis and his wife Carla of Austin, and Christine Lewis of Hewitt; 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the Kearns Reicher Trust.