Thomas Edward Lewis

Thomas Edward (Tom) Lewis, 80, passed away Nov. 1, 2012, after a long and heroic struggle with prostate cancer. He was born in Los Angeles, July 12, 1932, to Mandane (Todd) and Ned Lewis.

Tom attended Webb School of California and graduated from Dorsey High School in LA. While at USC, he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity and ROTC. After graduating with a degree in business in 1954 he married Suzanne Halvorson, whom he met while at USC. They were stationed at George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif., where their daughter Jennifer was born in 1956.

After discharge in 1956, Tom moved his family to Fullerton, Calif., where their son, Chuck, was born in 1959, and he began his career in the by-products business. He started at Anaheim Citrus and then relocated to Phoenix in 1965, establishing Maricopa By-Products, Tempe Meat Packing Co. and Maricopa Cattle Co. He served as a director on the Arizona Livestock Board and most recently U.S. Sensor Corp. in Orange, Calif.

Tom was a polymath who regaled his fiends on the vast subjects of his interests. His membership in the Cowman's Club gave him lifelong friends to enjoy. He had a friendly smile and hello for every person in his path. And he had a wisdom and authority about him that we will forever remember.

Some of his hobbies were golfing at Paradise Valley Country Club, salmon fishing in British Columbia and fine-tuning the mechanics of his Maserati and Ferrari. The scenery of the western United States called to him on many occasions from adventurous road trips to the road rallies with the Copperstate 1000.

Predeceased by son, Chuck, in 1999, he is survived by his wife of 57 years, Suzanne; his daughter, Jennifer Schmitt (Dwain);, grandchildren, Taylor and Dabrienne Lewis, all of Paradise Valley, Ariz.; his sister, Janet Jared; and nephew, Todd Jared, of Carpinteria, Calif.