Eugene R. (Gene) Lewis was born March 10, 1925 on a farm a few miles north of Manhattan, Kansas. He was the youngest of eight. When he was about five years old the family moved to Manhattan and there he lived and attended school through high school. After graduating in 1943, Gene joined the Marine Corps and was sent to boot camp at San Diego, CA. Following bootcamp, radio school and then field training at Camp Pendleton he was assigned to the Second Armored Amphibian Battalion. This unit consisted of amphibian tanks. Gen’s unit was then sent to the island of Maui where he got to see the new kind of tank he would be using. They boarded an LST and went to Pearl Harbor to have some work done on the ship. The tanks and all Marine and Navy personnel were removed from the ship except that Gene and one other Marine, who was not feeling well, were left aboard. Some civilian workers were fixing or repairing things on the ship. While on the LST some great explosions took place and Gene was injured. After jumping over the side and being pulled out of the water he was taken to a naval hospital for three days. He was able to get back to his outfit and they were soon underway to the west with a great many other ships. It was later determined the explosions were the result of sabotage.
The time for sailing would have been about May 18, 1944. On June 6th, they learned of the invasion of Europe but had their own invasion ahead, the island of Saipan, scheduled for June 15th. After Saipan was secured almost two months later, as well as the nearby island of Tinian, Gene’s outfit stayed on Saipan to continue training for the next operation. That was to be the island of Iwo Jima, the operation being February 19, 1945. Gene’s battalion was the one that led the way to the beaches at both Saipan and Iwo Jima. After 30 days, the island of Iwo Jima was secured enough for him and the others in his outfit to return to the island of Maui. On Maui, Gene was surprised by being awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his action on Iwo Jima. This was given by the commanding General of the 4th Marine Division who later became Commandant of the Marine Corps. His battalion began new training tactics in anticipation of the invasion of Japan but the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to that.
Gene was finally mustered out at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station on November 30, 1945. At home he began to get busy in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other things. He also got reacquainted with a classmate, Eulalia Railsback, whom he had known since first grade. They were on a committee involving a singles group at the church they attended. They got even better acquainted to the point they later got engaged. In the mean- time Gene began studies in chemistry at Kansas State. He and Eulalia married in June of 1948 and he graduated in January of 1949. He then got a job with the chemistry section of the Road Materials Lab, a part of the state highway department. It was located on the campus of Kansas State. On June 26th of 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea and six weeks later Gene got a notice from the Marine Corps to report to San Diego on September 2nd. He spent the next year with classes, field training and other activities and was then released on September 2, 1951 without being sent overseas. He never did know why he wasn’t sent to Korea.
Gene went back to working at the laboratory; but then the family moved to Topeka in 1964 when a new laboratory building as erected there. He continued there until retirement in 1990, the last 18 years being the chief chemist. In 1991, he and Eulalia moved to Silver City where they have been ever since. They did a lot of traveling about the country and around the world until settling down to stay at home to get involved with the local Audubon, Native Plant Society, Town and Country Garden Club and its thrift store, the Silver City Museum, WILL classes, and Marine
Corps League. Gene was an avid birder and collected 21 years of bird data at the Tyrone Sewage Ponds and nearby area.
Gene’s wife of 68 years, Eulalia, passed away in March of 2017. He is survived by his children, Paul and wife Nancy of Santa Fe; Timothy and wife Lori of near Sylva, NC; Deborah and husband James of Santa Fe; two grandchildren, Jonathan and wife Aurore of Leiden, Netherlands and Kachina and husband Steve and their daughter Freja of Santa Fe.
A Graveside Service will be celebrated on Friday, November 12th at 2pm at Fort Bayard National Cemetery with full military honors.
Cremation will take place at Terrazas Crematory.
Arrangements are with Terrazas Funeral Chapels and Crematory.
The time for sailing would have been about May 18, 1944. On June 6th, they learned of the invasion of Europe but had their own invasion ahead, the island of Saipan, scheduled for June 15th. After Saipan was secured almost two months later, as well as the nearby island of Tinian, Gene’s outfit stayed on Saipan to continue training for the next operation. That was to be the island of Iwo Jima, the operation being February 19, 1945. Gene’s battalion was the one that led the way to the beaches at both Saipan and Iwo Jima. After 30 days, the island of Iwo Jima was secured enough for him and the others in his outfit to return to the island of Maui. On Maui, Gene was surprised by being awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his action on Iwo Jima. This was given by the commanding General of the 4th Marine Division who later became Commandant of the Marine Corps. His battalion began new training tactics in anticipation of the invasion of Japan but the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to that.
Gene was finally mustered out at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station on November 30, 1945. At home he began to get busy in the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other things. He also got reacquainted with a classmate, Eulalia Railsback, whom he had known since first grade. They were on a committee involving a singles group at the church they attended. They got even better acquainted to the point they later got engaged. In the mean- time Gene began studies in chemistry at Kansas State. He and Eulalia married in June of 1948 and he graduated in January of 1949. He then got a job with the chemistry section of the Road Materials Lab, a part of the state highway department. It was located on the campus of Kansas State. On June 26th of 1950 North Korea invaded South Korea and six weeks later Gene got a notice from the Marine Corps to report to San Diego on September 2nd. He spent the next year with classes, field training and other activities and was then released on September 2, 1951 without being sent overseas. He never did know why he wasn’t sent to Korea.
Gene went back to working at the laboratory; but then the family moved to Topeka in 1964 when a new laboratory building as erected there. He continued there until retirement in 1990, the last 18 years being the chief chemist. In 1991, he and Eulalia moved to Silver City where they have been ever since. They did a lot of traveling about the country and around the world until settling down to stay at home to get involved with the local Audubon, Native Plant Society, Town and Country Garden Club and its thrift store, the Silver City Museum, WILL classes, and Marine
Corps League. Gene was an avid birder and collected 21 years of bird data at the Tyrone Sewage Ponds and nearby area.
Gene’s wife of 68 years, Eulalia, passed away in March of 2017. He is survived by his children, Paul and wife Nancy of Santa Fe; Timothy and wife Lori of near Sylva, NC; Deborah and husband James of Santa Fe; two grandchildren, Jonathan and wife Aurore of Leiden, Netherlands and Kachina and husband Steve and their daughter Freja of Santa Fe.
A Graveside Service will be celebrated on Friday, November 12th at 2pm at Fort Bayard National Cemetery with full military honors.
Cremation will take place at Terrazas Crematory.
Arrangements are with Terrazas Funeral Chapels and Crematory.
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