May 15, 1939 - March 04, 2022
The services celebrating and honoring the life of James C. Lewis, 82, of Enid, will be held privately in Memorial Park Cemetery in Enid under the direction of Brown-Cummings Funeral Home.
James (Jim) Clifford Lewis was born May 15, 1939 to Claude Cloe and Eva Root Lewis in Enid, Oklahoma and passed away March 4, 2022 at St. Mary’s Regional Hospital in Enid, Oklahoma at the age of 82.
Jim was the eleventh of twelve children and grew up at 1834 West Chestnut in Enid. He attended McKinley Elementary School, Emerson Jr. High, and graduated in 1957 from Enid High School. Jim attended Enid Business College and Philips University.
Jim spent his younger days riding horses. His favorite horse was named Texas Red which he rode in the Cherokee Strip Round-Up Club. From 1953 to 1956, he won dozens of ribbons for barrel racing and being a jockey. This need for adrenaline and speed laid the foundation for his pursuit of fast cars.
He also participated in The Young Men’s Christian Association at the YWCA and Enid Boxing Club from 1954 to 1955 and played on the West Side Baptist High School Cagers basketball championship team of 1955.
While in high school, Jim got an early start in the car business by working at his brother Fred's body shop, Lewis Body & Glass. From 1960 to 1962, he worked as a salesman and bookkeeper at the new AMC (Rambler) dealership, Semke Rambler Ranch.
After serving six months active duty in the National Guard at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and Ft. Sill, Lawton, Oklahoma, he was later inducted into the Oklahoma National Guard on September 28, 1961 and served four years. At the age of 23 after finishing his initial tour of duty, Jim opened his own used car dealership in 1962.
In the early days, Jim would spend his weekends drag racing with friends just outside the Enid city limits. Having collected dozens of drag racing winner trophies, going fast and being around fast cars was in his blood. When competing, he drove various 1955 to 1957 Chevy or early 1960s Corvettes. As soon as he married Valeria (Roggow) Lewis on May 30, 1964, in Enid, Oklahoma and began a family, his focus shifted to building his business.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Jim was one of very few dealers in Oklahoma that sold high performance muscle and collector cars. Since the year 2000, his customer base expanded from Oklahoma and Kansas to internationally in countries such as Canada, England, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Poland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
He was known for always having several Mopars at a time such as the 1970s Charger, Challenger, or Cuda. He loved Mustangs which accounted for nearly half the cars he ever sold, and the Chevrolet’s Camero, Chevelle, and Corvettes were a staple of his business. Recently, the Ford Bronco was a particular favorite.
His passion was not so much selling cars, but what he absolutely loved was the chase and the hunt! Finding a barn find or something that no one knew about gave him more pleasure than just about anything. He lived and breathed automobiles. From the time he woke up in the morning to the time he went to bed, cars were always on his mind as he scoured the paper and internet for the next deal. Friends would often comment that they couldn't talk to him for two minutes before he would tell you a story about buying or selling a car. He used his stories as allegories of life and was happy to repeat stories over and over again.
Jim was in the car business for 60 years and worked up until the day before his stroke in July 2021 that forced his retirement. Although he started selling used cars as Jim’s Auto Sales, he later owned and ran Lewis Dodge, Lewis Datsun, and had the DeLorean Motor Company franchise. For the last 30 years, he did business as MarKee Auto Sales. Always looking for the next opportunity, he became the President and owner of the Bank of Hunter from 1981 to 1985.
Jim is preceded in death by his parents and siblings Geraldine, Claudine, Betty, Greta, Tom, Fred, Billy, and Bob. He is survived by his wife Valeria, son Jason of Brooklyn, NY, daughter Paige (Alex Matamala), and grandson Mason of Enid. He is also survived by brothers Jack, Donnie and Richard and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Condolences may be made to the family online at www.Brown-Cummings.com. As one of Oklahomaʼs oldest single family owned and operated providers of funerals and cremations, Brown-Cummings is the name families have turned to for generations. They fully understand the honor and responsibility entrusted to them to preserve the story of oneʼs life. Visit 400 W. Maple, Enid, OK 73701. Call: (580) 237-5432.
Obituaries are posted, in part, due to the generosity of The Commons.
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