Follow Us 
Related News
Current Poll
| Long time area banker passes away |
 |
 |
 |
| News | |||
| Written by Robin Hixson | |||
| Wednesday, 10 June 2009 08:00 | |||
|
Ted E. Lewis, 85, chairman emeritus of First Option Bank, died Saturday in Osawatomie. First Option President Blake Heid recalls him as a banker who supported his community. “I have customers in their 60s and 70s, who say they wouldn’t have been able to buy a home if it hadn’t been for Ted,” he said. Born Feb. 13, 1924, in Hunter, Okla., Lewis first entered business when he sold animal feed in the store owned by his father. Lewis Produce had the only icehouse in town, and the young Lewis cut ice chunks to sell for as little as 10 cents apiece. Butchering cattle with his father was another duty of his job. After high school, Lewis attended Phillips University in Enid, Okla., but World War II intervened. He joined the U.S. Navy, serving as an ensign on a minesweeper near Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Later, he attended the University of Oklahoma, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Lewis married Janet Garvin Panner on Jan. 31, 1949. After college, Lewis entered the retail business. As a Montgomery Ward assistant store manager in Newton, Kan., he met an area banker who persuaded him to change careers. Lewis moved his family to Paola in 1959 when W.C. “Dub” Hartley hired him to work at Miami County National Bank, which later became TeamBank and then Great Southern Bank. In 1970, Lewis bought controlling interest in the First National Bank in Osawatomie and moved his family there. A new facility opened in 1975 in Osawatomie. A location in Paola opened in December 1993. Lewis officially retired in 1996, but the bank continues to operate under Lewis family ownership with Ted’s son Gregg P. Lewis as chairman of the board. First National changed its name to First Option Bank in January 1999. Branches in La Cygne and Louisburg opened in 2000, and a Spring Hill location followed in 2007. Lewis was active as a member of the Paola Rotary Club and the Osawatomie Lions Club. One summer, he was host to more than 10 students from various countries as they helped build International Park at Lake Miola. In his last years, Alzheimer’s disease took his memory, but Lewis’ belief in service to others continues to show in the wish he expressed for treatment of his remains. Instead of a funeral service and burial, his body is to be donated to the University of Kansas Medical Center for research. Memorials may be sent to First Presbyterian Church, 344 Main St. , Osawatomie. Lewis’ son, Gregg Lewis, would like his father to be remembered as a friendly man with a gift for greeting people and remembering their names. “He was a big hearted, humble man,” he said.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Hits: 577 Trackback(0)
Comments (0)
 Write comment
You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
|
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
