Juanita Rose Lewis

A Celebration of Life Service for Juanita Rose Lewis, 91, of Indianola, Iowa, who passed away Sunday, December 10, 2023, will be held 11 a.m. Friday December 29, 2023 at the Indianola Regular Baptist Church with inurnment of cremains to be held at a later date in the Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.
Juanita (Nita) Lewis was loved by all who met her. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister, and friend. The most common description of Nita, especially in her senior years, was Prayer Warrior. You could trust she was going to pray for you even if there wasn't anything specific to pray for at the time. She emphatically loved her children and grandchildren, including great and great-great. Nita wished she could do more for each materially, but prayer was her gift. Nita spent daily time in prayer and reading her Bible, with Bibles stationed at each place she sat. Each Bible had a little journal, where she would jot down thoughts and prayers. Philippians 4:4-8 was highlighted in each Bible and was something she strived to follow each day.
Nita was born to Ralph and Olive Ness on July 4th, 1932, in Somers, Iowa. She had three brothers and three sisters and grew up on a small farm near Calendar. After graduating high school, she completed studies and received certifications as an X-Ray Technician from St. Luke's Methodist Hospital. She soon met Albert Lewis and they were married in September of 1954. They traveled to various places in their first years of marriage, and returned to Davenport, where they started their family with Janelle and Nancy. After Nancy was born, they moved to Quincy, Illinois, where Nita raised her family and worked as an X-Ray Tech. While in Quincy, she started going to Calvary Baptist Church with her girls and eventually believed and accepted Christ as her Savior and was quickly baptized. Brett was born soon after and She made sure they all attended services regularly and earnestly prayed Al would also be saved. He eventually did (in a big way), and that triggered moving to Ankeny, Iowa, where Al went to school and Nita worked full-time at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. After several years in Ankeny, they moved to Colorado where they often took advantage of enjoying the beauty Colorado can offer. After Al's passing in 1994, Nita moved back to Iowa to stay and care for her mom and sister Jeanne. She then moved to Indianola, where she lived out her remaining years, close to family and lifelong friends.
We have many fond memories of Nita, usually spent during Christmas, but it was always fun for the family to celebrate her birthday, because it came with parades and fireworks. She loved every moment when she could simply be close to her children and their families. She would always remark on how blessed she was to have her family near and to watch her children build families of their own. She will be missed for her kindness and love, and we think she would still remind us, if she could, to stay close to God and love everyone God sends your way.
Survivors include her children, Janelle (Danny) Simmons, Nancy Lewis, Brett (Mitzi) Lewis; grandchildren, Jessika Mask, Becky (Jamie) Ray, Carter (Larisa) Mask, Scott (Katie) Drake, Remington (Torie) Bell, McKinnon Bell, Julia Lewis, Samuel Lewis and Allison Lewis; great-grandchildren, Claire, Chip, Hunter, Layla, Alissa, Natilie, Everett, Hasan, Carter, Kenny, Ella, Paislee; siblings, Paul (Veronica) Ness and Mary Ann (Tom) Ehresman; several nieces, nephews and great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert Thomas Lewis; parents, Ralph and Olive (Moe) Ness; siblings, Lucille (Dale) Birkland, Sonny (Doloris) Ness, Allen (Phyllis) Ness, and Jeanne Ness.