TITLE: In memory of Mickey Darnell Lewis of Malakoff.

SUMMARY: In memory of Mickey Darnell Lewis of Malakoff.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Family and friends are mourning the loss of admired educator Mickey Darnell Lewis of Malakoff, who died on March 26, 2017, at the age of 72; and WHEREAS, The son of Flonnie and James Lewis, Mickey Lewis was born in Malakoff on June 15, 1944; he graduated from Hamshire-Fannett High School and interrupted his college education to enlist in the U.S. Air Force; during the Vietnam War, he was stationed on Okinawa as a flight mechanic, and he went on to work as a jet engine mechanic at Stewart Air Force Base in New York; he subsequently returned to Stephen F. Austin State University to complete both his bachelor's degree and his master's degree in education; and WHEREAS, Mr. Lewis taught science at Crockett Intermediate School for more than three decades; instilling a love of science and nature in his students, he supplemented classroom instruction with an annual camping trip, and many of his pupils considered him their favorite teacher; he was also a special education teacher for several years, serving in the Crockett and Palestine Independent School Districts and in a remote Eskimo village, Akiachak, Alaska; and WHEREAS, A devoted family man, Mr. Lewis shared a fulfilling marriage of more than a half century with his wife, Norma Patricia Aubey Lewis, and he was the father of three treasured children, Noralee, Audrey, and Brant; in later years, he took great pride in his grandsons, Aaron, Jared, and Nathan Cravens and Gavin Lewis; he enjoyed taking family camping trips to observe animals and plants in the great outdoors, and he and his wife traveled to all 50 states, as well as to Mexico, Canada, Australia, and Europe; with his eldest grandson, he harvested trees and built a log cabin, and when he began growing sugarcane, he shared jars of homemade syrup with friends, relatives, and fellow retired teachers; and WHEREAS, Mickey Lewis enriched the lives of innumerable people, and those who were fortunate enough to know him will forever remember his kindness, his enthusiasm, and his profound appreciation for the natural world; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Mickey Darnell Lewis and extend sincere sympathy to his loved ones; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Mickey Lewis. Wray Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 1550 was unanimously adopted by a rising vote of the House on May 4, 2017. Chief Clerk of the House