Born January 3, 1938, Orem, Utah
Died Sept 26, 2023, Columbus, Ohio
Lewis was born in 1938 in Orem, Utah to Roy Casper Muhlestein and Zelda Nellie Lewis as the second of 6 children. In 1955, his parents were called to serve as Labor Missionaries in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii to help build the Church College of Hawaii. Lewis stayed behind for one year to finish up his senior year at Spanish Fork High, graduating in 1956. He then followed his family out to Hawaii. The summer before he started at the Church College of Hawaii, he met Leda Law at a square dance group. They dated throughout Lewis’ two years of college. Lewis graduated from the Church College of Hawaii as co-valedictorian, then left to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Northern States Mission.
After two years of service-and on his way home from his mission-he proposed to Leda. They were married six months later on December 23, 1960, in the Salt Lake Temple.
Lewis attended Brigham Young University, where he graduated with a degree in Physics in 1962. Following his graduation, the family moved to Ames, Iowa where Lewis obtained his PhD in Physics from Iowa State University. During that time, they welcomed two boys, Kerry and Mylan, to the family. After receiving his PhD, Lewis took a job as Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Missouri. It was there they welcomed their daughters Melanie and Loreen.
A short time thereafter, they moved to Richland, Washington for Lewis’ job at Westinghouse Hanford in the Safety and Systems Development Department. They bought a home a short distance from Lewis’ parents. A few years later they welcomed their youngest daughter Alayna to the family. During his time in Richland, Lewis missed farming, and over those years he bought two different farms and grew fruits and vegetables. He taught his kids to work hard and while his children complained, he was often heard saying “inch by inch it’s a cinch, yard by yard it’s hard”.
Lewis retired from Westinghouse Hanford in 1995 and joined the consulting firm Ares, where most of his work was in Risk Management. He retired in 2010, at age 72, just a few days after his wife Leda passed away.
Lewis met Janis Schoonover in 2012 and they were married in 2013 in the Columbia River Temple. They moved to Westerville, Ohio where they found much joy in serving the Nepali people in their area, both in the church and the community. They also served in the Columbus Ohio Temple and as missionaries.
Lewis was always the first to stop on the side of the road if someone needed help, the first to offer assistance financially or in any way he could. He had a big heart and much compassion for those around him.
Lewis is survived by his wife, Janis Muhlestein; his children, Kerry (Susan) Muhlestein of Moses Lake, WA; Mylan (Amy) Muhlestein of West Richland, WA; Melanie Muhlestein (Bruce Ford) of Idaho Falls, ID; Loreen (Tim) Bliss of Delta, UT; Alayna (Dan) Chivers of Moses Lake, WA; Megan (JT) Kauffman of Westerville, OH; Amy Schoonover (Ralph) of Ligonier, PA; and 19 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, and 3 brothers.
Services will be held at Einan’s at Sunset, Thursday, October 5th at 2 pm.
The family invites you to express your thoughts and memories in the online guest book at einansfuneralhome.com.