Lewis W. "Lew" Lees, Jr. 91

Lewis W. "Lew" Lees, Jr. 91 , of Hendersonville, NC, formerly of Peoria, Il., passed away at 7:30 PM January 3, 2015 at Carolina Village in Hendersonville, NC.

He was born April 5, 1923 in Attleboro, MA to Lewis W. and Mildred (Hudson) Lees. He married Kathleen Anderson on December 23, 1947 in Rochester, MN. She survives.

Also surviving are four sons and one daughter, Nelson (Anna) of Cincinnati, OH, Carl of Atlanta, GA, Ray (Jan) of Peoria, Il and Judd Lees of Seattle, WA; Kristin (David) Huntley of Hendersonville, NC. Eight grandchildren survive: Andrew, Maddie, Judd, Grant (Jessica) and Preston Lees; Aubrey, Will and Shelby Huntley. His brother-in-law and sister-in-law Jim and Pat Anderson of Lampasas, TX also survive.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Nancy Lees.

Lewis graduated with an AB degree in Mathematics from Brown University and a BS in Accounting and Finance from Bentley University with post graduate courses from M.I.T., Bradley University, and Carnegie Mellon .

He was a WWII combat veteran with the U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces in the SW Pacific Theater as an Engineering Officer and later as a Captain of USS LCI(L) 612. Recalled to active duty in 1950, he landed with members of the US Marine Corps in Hungnam, North Korea. He received numerous medals including the Combat Action Ribbon.

Lewis retired from Caterpillar in 1985 with 37 years of service in Financial Management areas. He was the Financial Director of Caterpillar Brasil S.A. in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the time of his retirement, Lew was the Manager of the Department of Pricing and Scheduling responsible for global product pricing and production scheduling.

Lewis was a member of the Board of Directors of the Children's Home Association of Illinois and the Board of Directors of the Tri-County Riverfront Association. He also served as President of the Peoria Chapter of the National Association of Management Accountants.

Retiring to Hendersonville, NC, he became a real estate broker of commercial properties for Oates Realty and earned the designation as a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) recognizing him as an expert in the commercial and investment real estate industry. Lewis was a Director of CCIM (Commercial Realtors) of North Carolina and Treasurer of the Board of Realtors. He also served on the Board of Directors and as President of Henderson County Hospice. He was the Director of Services of the Rotary Club of Hendersonville; a member of the University Club; President of the Board of Directors of the Blue Ridge Community College Education Foundation and was a member of the Hendersonville Country Club.

A memorial service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville, NC at a later date. Cremation will be accorded with burial in the St. James Episcopal Church Memorial Gardens .

Memorials may be made to the Blue Ridge Community College Education Foundation or Four Seasons Hospice.