John T. Lewis, master sign painter and long time resident of Boulder MT, died peacefully on April 26 at the Wilkins Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Duncan OK. He was 90 years old.
John was born in Rifle, CO, on August 9, 1929. He was the second son of Wade V. Lewis Sr. and Jessie Thayer Lewis. John grew up during the Depression which shaped his inclination towards innovation. He collected “good” stuff and repaired cars, clocks and restored all manner of things.
John was one of eight children moving frequently throughout the Western states as the family followed their father’s interest in mining. They finally settled in Boulder, MT, where Wade Sr., geologist and mining engineer, discovered uranium and radon’s curative benefits at the current location of the Free Enterprise Health Mine. John was class president in his senior year at Jefferson High School in 1949. From his high school years and thereafter, John assistes his father with field work at mining claims in and around Boulder and the Elkhorn district.
