Robert Lewis

Robert Harrison Lewis Passed away September 11, 2010 in Palo Alto, CA. Born 9/14/14 in Dallas, TX. Bob Lewis became a professional horseman at an early age, learning the trade from his father R. Harry Lewis. In 1942, he was drafted in the Army and married Leila Barlow while on leave in San Francisco. His R.O.T.C. training and expert marksmanship with the Browning rifle served him well in the army, allowing him to quickly advance to Sergeant and later to Captain. By the time he mustered out, he was leading a rifle company in the 79th Infantry in Normandy. During his service he was awarded 3 Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart. Back from the army and to his family with two young daughters - Bob started training show horses again as well as thoroughbreds on the Midwestern racing circuit in 1947-48. With the addition of his son to the family, he decided to focus solely on show horses, starting Bob Lewis Stables and moving his family to California in 1950. Quoting from the article "With A Command on Life" published in Horse World in 1995, when he was still a very active horseman at the age of 81, "Not many people get to lead a life as rich and full as Lewis and he has spent a lifetime doing what he truly enjoys, working horses and being around people. " Over the next 50 years, Bob Lewis became legendary for training many a champion horse and rider, with a special knack for matching riders and horses for a winning combination. His stables were based primarily at the Stanford Red Barn until he moved briefly to Southern California in the mid 1960's. He soon returned to the Peninsula, opening stables in the Portola Valley/Woodside area where he stayed for the rest of his career. Honored as United Professional Horseman of the year in 1996 and later inducted into the United Professional Horsemen's Hall of Fame, Bob was internationally-known as an expert judge of all breeds of horses in addition to his training prowess with American Saddlebreds, Morgans, and harness and Hackney ponies. Bob judged horse shows in every state of the U.S., and international shows in England, Sweden, South Africa, and Canada. He was still successfully training horses and judging shows well into his eighties, winning the last class he rode in - a five-gaited championship in July 2000 at age 85. Aside from his horsemanship, Bob was always known for his manners and southern charm. With enormous hands that made anyone whose hand he shook feel like a child and his unique, deep, rumbling voice, Bob was physically imposing yet gentle in his ways with animals and people. He was noted for being impeccably dressed and was one of the few riders who could be counted on to appear in the traditional top hat for a 3-gaited championship class. Stated in an article published in Saddle and Bridle, describing a "Roast and Toast" dinner given in his honor at the California Futurity Horse Show, "His enormous presence was felt, even now, at the young age of 90, as a giant among us. There will only be one Bob Lewis. He is an enigma. He is unique: loving, kind, and firmly opinionated but with the basis of extreme intelligence. Polite to extremes and always a gentleman. Yet he will fiercely stand up for what he believes in." Bob was predeceased by his loving wife of 63 years, Leila, his son Robert Allan, and daughter Susan Guthrie. He is survived by his daughters Dinah Baumgartner and Amy Lewis, and grandchildren Stephen Guthrie, Jeremy Franzen, and Joseph Bill. Services will be held privately.