Francis "Jerry" Lewis

Francis "Jerry" Lewis, 78, of Ottawa, passed away Sunday, July 30, 2023 at his home.

Visitation will be Friday, August 4, at Ottawa Funeral Home from 4:00 until 6:30 pm. A funeral ceremony will follow at 6:30 pm with Rev. Duane Kaufman officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Memorial Park at a later date.

He was born September 20, 1944, in Streator, IL, to Francis and Burdette (Balke) Lewis. He married Carol McDonald on December 24, 2002 in Ottawa.

He worked for over 30 years as a pipefitter with Local 597. He loved to have fun and always had a joke. He enjoyed watching Nascar and was a big Tony Stewart fan. He was a member of St. Columba Church.

He is survived by his wife, Carol Lewis; his children, Paula (Chris) McGill and Deborah (Bryan) Benedetti; his step children, Michael (Jean) McDonald, Paula (Dale) Smith, and Kimberly Boyd; his 7 grandchildren; 8 step grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren; and 6 step great grandchildren; and his siblings, James (Brenda) Lewis, John Lewis, and Sandra (Mark) Klochko.

Francis was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Mark Lewis; and his grandson, Tyler Benedetti.

Memorials may be directed to the family.