Steam & Excursion > R.I.P Burlington John

Obituary
John G Lewis, 57, of Palmyra, passed away Monday August 24, 2020 at Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, MO.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday August 29, 2020 at Lewis Brothers Funeral Chapel in Palmyra, MO. Reverend Mark Carpenter and Dewayne Larenson will officiate. Burial with Full Military Honors by American Legion Post #174 Boots-Dickson will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Palmyra, MO.

Friends and Family are invited to John's Life Celebration at a visitation that will be from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Friday August 28, 2020 at Lewis Brothers Funeral Chapel.

John was born April 3, 1963, in Hannibal, MO to George M. and Dorothy K. Davidson Lewis. He was married to Shelley Clow on July 1, 1989 in Taylor MO. She survives.

Other survivors include his children Amy (Andrew) Maher of Tampa, FL and Amanda Lewis of Fayette, MO; brothers Michael (Jennifer) Lewis of Albuquerque, NM, David (Gabe) Lewis of Palmyra, MO; sister Anne (Rob) Raymond of Dallas TX; and several nieces and nephews.

John was preceded in death by his Parents.

John joined the United States Navy after school and served our Country for 23 years. He served with various amphibious battle groups, sailing on the Bonhomme Richard and the USS Missouri. His commissions took him around the world. He retired as a Senior Chief, the highest rank possible as an enlisted man. He was a large part of the recommissioning and decommissioning of the USS Missouri battle ship. He later worked for Marion County 911 and Marion County Ambulance District. He was an Emergency Management Director for Palmyra and also served on the Palmyra Fire Department for several years.

Away from work, John was an avid train enthusiast. He enjoyed collecting train memorabilia, watching trains and even photographing them. With an exceptional eye for photography, John had a gift for capturing special family memories and events over the years on film. He was the longtime videographer for the Palmyra Panthers Football Team and John was very much looking forward to filming in the press box of the new stadium this fall. A history buff, John was interested in Palmyra area history and was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Mizzou sports, Dallas Cowboys Football, St. Louis Cardinals Baseball and NASCAR were a few of John's favorites. Most of all John cherished the moments he shared with his family and friends. As a founding member of “The Brain Trust,” John relished time spent with the group solving the world’s problems at the Rebel Pig. However, John’s most treasured memories were attending Mizzou tailgates with Amy, parading Amanda in his Corvette for her numerous pageant titles, and getting to travel and share his passions with Shelley.

John was one-of-a-kind, and lived life to the fullest. With his gregarious personality and unflinching liveliness, John gifted everyone he met with a lasting impression.

He attended First Christian Church of Palmyra.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Great River Honor Flight or to the Heritage Seekers for the Restoration of the Marion County Jail.

Pallbearers will be Kevin Miles, John Nemes, Jeff Lewis, John Jacobs, Jody Jacobs, Mark Cheffey, and Drew Maher.

Honorary pallbearers will be Jerry Woodbeck, Sandy Miller, Marty Smyser II, and Gary Crane.


https://www.lewisbrothersfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=18082756

Posted from Android

Shocked is all I can say.  John was a friend for sure.  His love of the American Freedom Train and his Navy time brought us together.  John will be missed.
Fair Winds and Following Seas John.

With a heavy heart.

Jeff Smith
Lakewood, CA
RailMaster Hobbies



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/20 15:45 by UPJeff.

John was a huge American Freedom Train supporter and regular attendee at our bi-annual crew reunions. He will be sorely missed.

   R.I.P. good friend.

   Ross Rowland 

Sad to hear this.  I always enjoyed his postings concerning the American Freedom Train, his love of the AFT shone through his writings.

R.I.P.

Going to miss seeing this and him at the reunions.
Rest in peace my friend 
The stories he could tell, and just good ol fashioned fellowship 
Kevin 

"Photo used with permission "



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/20 15:36 by 4-4-0LiveSteam.

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I'm sorry I never met John, but what was the origin of his moniker "Burlington John"?

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> I'm sorry I never met John, but what was the
> origin of his moniker "Burlington John"?
>
> Victor A. Baird
> http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

Hometown is on the old "Q" mainline.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

57 years old is way too young to die in 2020.

Condolences and prayers for his family. Rest in peace, John

John was the first person that I met on Trainorders that I then met in person. He was always appreciative of heads up of what was heading through Hannibal on the NS. I’d see him trackside there often. If I was able to get his attention, an email would be sent of my train that day with a pic that he took.
May you Rest In Peace John. My trips through Hannibal have grown a little less personal now.

Posted from iPhone

This very sad, indeed.  Way to young to pass on.  Saw John at the 40th Anniversary at PDX and had a great time exchanging stories about the AFT./. My sincerest condolences to his family.  Highball the  green board, John. 

Sad news indeed, and my condolences. Though I often visited John's home area when I lived in Missouri for many years, I never met him. But I certainly always noted and often enjoyed his posts here on Trainorders. He was the kind of person who will be missed by his community for his many contributions, as much as by his family and friends.

That's sad and terrible news!  57 is far too young to pass and he will certainly be missed.  He always had kind things about 1522 and I'm sure watched us run through Palmyra on one of our several trips over that route to KC.
Rest in Peace.

Sad to hear this.  As a former AFTer I always admired his appreciation and knowledge. Only met him once,at the 40th reunion in Portland. He will be missed.

     Tom

As many of you have said, 57 is too young to leave us.  I was fortunate enough to meet John once, and we corresponded on the net.  Great guy who will be missed.  Edit:  Remembering John.  My memory is getting so bad I had to go through files to recall which of my many railfan friends was John.  Memories returned.  John and I communicated often back in 2002 when the American Freedom Train was reborn.  John was only 38, still in the Navy and stationed in San Diego.  He wanted so much to ride the first trip but had other things to contend with at the time.  He decided to make the trip at the very last moment and drove from San Diego to Portland.  If I remember correctly, he didn't have a ticket but the crew welcomed John and put him to work, where he did a fine job of dispensing memorabilia to the other passengers and I think he bought one of everything for himself.  That trip is where we met and carried on quite a conversation sharing many different interests.  Here is a photo I took of him as he was selling his wares.  God rest your soul, my friend.



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/20 15:02 by nycman.

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Very sorry to hear this. Our shared passion of the AFT and BB 63 made correspondence with John a lot of fun...Damn.

Dave

Glad to report that Todd Schannuth our AFT Historian will be attending John's services representing the AFT family and we have arranged for a large Red, White & Blue floral arrangement be there from all of us.  

   R.I.P. good friend.  Ross Rowland 

I met John at one of the Al Bowen-organized Cajon meetings back in 1993, if memory serves. He was a class act and a patriot. May he live forever in our memories.

Landon Miller

Hillcrest brought back more memories of our conversations concerning the refurbishment of the USS Missouri, BB63.