Sterling Rex Lewis

S. Rex Lewis 1922 ~ 2010 Sterling Rex Lewis, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, passed away peacefully Sept. 7, 2010, at the age of 87. He was born November 3, 1922, to Sterling and Fern Michie Lewis. He and his loving wife Joan celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary together last spring. Rex's educational credentials are amazing for a boy from the small city of Toppenish, Washington, that even today still bills itself as the city "Where the West Still Lives!" Rex attended the University of California at Los Angeles, went on to the Harvard School of Business and Brigham Young University (B.S., 1944). Rex was commissioned as a Navy Officer and served on the USS Osmond Ingram in World War II. He served as a supply officer in the Mediterranean and participated in the invasion of Southern France. He then was sent to the South Pacific to participate in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre and Philippine Liberation. He and his shipmates spent two years in the sights of the Kamikaze fighters. After his service in the Navy, he attended Stanford University where he received his J.D. in 1949. Rex was Phi Delta Phi. He then returned to the mountains and his family and friends. Rex married the love of his life, Joan Tuttle, on June 29, 1950. Soon thereafter he partnered with Jackson Howard to form the law firm of Howard & Lewis, where they were later joined by Don Petersen. They were partners for over 50 years and never had a sharp word. They built a prominent, well-respected firm. Rex was respected not only as a superb advocate, but a man of the utmost integrity with a great sense of fairness. Over the course of his career, Rex served as Assistant District Attorney, Fourth Judicial District, Utah, 1949-1951 and Special Assistant Attorney General for Condemnation, 1966-1970. From 1967 to 1969, Rex went to Washington, D.C., to serve as General Counsel for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., after which in private practice he established Dixie State Bank in St. George, Utah, and Wasatch Bank, in Utah County. Rex was very involved in civic and Bar activities. He was a member of the Utah County, Federal and American Bar Associations; Utah State Bar, The State Bar of California; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; Utah Trial Lawyers Association; American Board of Trial Advocates (President of the Utah Chapter, 1982, National Secretary, 1985-89); Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Appellate Procedure, 1987-1991. He was admitted to the Utah and California Bars in 1949 and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1968. Rex was a charter member of Riverside Country Club. He was dedicated to Rotary and was the major donor of the Utah Valley Rotary Club's Legacy Bridge Project in Provo Canyon. He started the Utah Valley Chapter of the United Way. He was involved with JCC, Red Cross and VFW, to name a few. He dearly loved his family and friends. We will miss his cynical, dry sense of humor and his subtleness. He was sarcastic, quick witted and a very good listener. "Hmmmhh". A true friend and gentleman, Rex was the guy you could always count on. He took a sincere interest in people. He was a lover of animals, dogs, horses and anything wild. An avid sportsman, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, golf, boating, tennis, and skiing. He was a true outdoorsman. Rex shot his last buck with a bow-and-arrow at the age of 84. He loved the mountains and he loved the beach. He was as comfortable in the courtroom as he was piloting his boat or scouting for antelope in the west desert. He and his wife covered almost every mile of every off-the-beaten-track dirty, bumpy road in Utah. Survived by his wife of 60 years; three children, Sterling (Nikki), Alison (Craig) Krumwiede, and Liz (Gifford) Hickey; and 10 grandchildren; siblings Kay Lewis and Nina Kimball. Preceded in death by his parents, siblings Maxine Murdock and David Lewis. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, September 11, 2010, at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street. Friends may call at the mortuary one hour prior to services. Interment will be in East Lawn Memorial Hills, Provo, Utah. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity of your choice. Thank you. Condolences may be sent to the family at info@bergmortuary.com