Juanita J Lewark

Our beloved mom and Nanny, Juanita (James) Lewark, passed away on March 14 and went to her eternal home in Heaven. Juanita was born September 18, 1935, in Wickes, Arkansas, to Ellis and Nellie James. Her father ran cattle on a ranch outside Clayton, Oklahoma. And her mother taught school, with Nita and her siblings in a one-room schoolhouse until they reached high school. Inspired by her mother, Nita also became an elementary school teacher and carried a lifelong passion for education, teaching whenever she had the opportunity.

She was married to William Lewark for 52 years. Together, they spent decades moving around the United States following Bill's Air Force career. Bill often joked that their relationship contained "two chiefs and no Indians," but the couple were united in their efforts to serve God by caring for their family, supporting their churches and communities, and helping others as God led them. Nita was probably best known for her passion for missions, animals, and her wonderful country cooking. No one ever went hungry in her presence. Her love of family, faith, and animals was passed down through her family through the many examples of service and commitment she showed to both her family and to Jesus.

She was a quiet woman, a trait she inherited from her mother. She often sat and listened to the conversations around her table, quietly taking it all in while making sure everyone's glass was full and no one left hungry. Her home was always open-whether it was missionaries, traveling guests, or anyone in need of a place to stay, there was always room with Nita. She also took great pride in sharing, teaching, and continuing to learn about her Choctaw heritage, carrying it with honor and passing it on to those around her.

She was truly the matriarch of the family, the one who held everyone together, and the one who could even check Dad/Papa when no one else dared. She wasn't afraid to grab a rifle and shoot any snake in her way. If you ever had the opportunity to help feed her animals, she provided custom meals with a side of love (and cornbread). In so many ways, she defined the strength, grit, faith, and generosity that made her generation great.

She was preceded in death by her parents Ellis and Nellie James; her husband, William Lewark; her brother Ellis James; her sisters Mary Crain and Virginia James; son-in-law Robert Hague; mother-in-law Billie Lewark Wood; brothers-in-law Don Crain, Mike Lewark and Danny Bryant; sister-in-law LaHoma Jo James and a niece and several nephews.

She is survived by her children Terry Hague of Wichita, KS; Larry Lewark (Esther) of Dayton, OH; and Mary Reisig of Wichita, KS; grandchildren Nathan (Emily) Reisig of Wichita, KS; Austin (Liz) Reisig of Grant, NE; Rachael (Josh) Kame of Springfield, OH; and Billy (Sydney) Lewark of

Englewood, OH; nine great-grandchildren; brother Charlie (Gloria) James of Boerne, TX; sister-in-laws Janet Lewark Tongier and Mary Lewark of Pittsburg KS; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at First Baptist Church in Clayton, OK on March 21st at 10:00 with graveside service at the A.L. Stephens Cemetery to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Southern Baptist missionaries Mark and Melynda Wint, whom Terry knows personally, who share love and the gospel along the East coast of Africa in a mostly Muslim area using drug rehabilitation and job training; occupational therapy, clinics and home visits for special needs families; and training for local pastors and

churches. Services have been entrusted to McCarn Funeral Service.

https://www.imb.org/give/project/coastal-chainbreakers-team/

https://lifelineanimalplacement.org/