Jay Burton Lewis

On June 28th, 2024 we said goodbye to Jay Burton Lewis. He was born at Fort Hood, Texas (now Fort Cavazos) on November 19th, 1947 to Spencer and Ouida Lewis. He also had two younger sisters, Leigh and Melissa. As a child he traveled the world as an Army brat living in Okinawa, Japan, England, and multiple stops in the US before settling in Grand Prairie, Texas after his father retired from the Army. Travel would be a big part of his life as he enjoyed visiting and conversing with people of different cultures. He graduated from Grand Prairie High School in 1966 with stints on the debate team and dramatic arts.

Shortly after graduation, Jay joined the US Army Intelligence serving his country in the Vietnam war, and fought during the Tet Offensive. He was honorably discharged in 1970 and began his college education at the University of North Texas, where he earned his Master's Degree in English. There he met his future wife, Anne Barfield, and they would marry on February 10th, 1974. Jay began working as a journalist at the Temple Daily Telegram, and would continue his career at United Press International, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, and the Seattle Post Intelligencer. In the late 1990s Jay decided to make a career change into IT consulting and technical writing working primarily for Microsoft. He retired in 2015 to a quiet life in Austin, Texas to be near his family and enjoy being back in Texas. Jay was a devoted Christian his entire life and his faith in Jesus Christ was unwavering. As a steadfast father he was active as an adult leader in the Boy Scouts helping his son, Alistair achieve Eagle Scout. He also hiked two rigorous treks at Philmont Scout Ranch. Jay was a loyal and constant husband of fifty years to Anne. Jay was an accomplished writer being published multiple times as a freelance journalist, as well as authoring a novel for his Master's Degree. He helped create the first Spanish language newspaper, La Estrella for the Fort Worth Star Telegram, and he earned a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. He impacted the lives of many and will be missed by his family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Anne, son Alistair, and grandchildren Jack, Julia, and Samuel.