Bertha Lewis

Bertha I. (Kumley) Lewis, 89, a former resident of Huntertown and more recently of Merriam, went to her Heavenly Home at 7:10 p. m. on Monday, December 31, at Visiting Nurse & Hospice Home in Fort Wayne following a recent hospitalization. She had been at the hospice home since Wednesday. Mrs. Lewis was born in Lagro in Wabash County on August 14, 1918, a daughter of William T. and Clara (Wintrode) Kumley, and spent her formative years in rural Wabash County. She was married to Glenn W. Lewis on August 15, 1935 at age 17, and the couple were married for 54 years. In 1943 the family moved to Huntertown, where she raised her family and lived for over 61 years until moving near Merriam in 2004 to live with her daughter Loretta. She was employed as a cook at the former Allen County Children's Home in Fort Wayne from 1966 to 1977, and was famous for her homemakde noodles and yeast donuts. She was an expert seamstress, and enjoyed knitting and gardening. A member of the LaOtto Wesleyan Church, she had attended Cornerstone Wesleyan Church in Merriam since 2004. Mr. Lewis preceded her in death on January 25, 1990. The surviving relatives include three sons Stewart (Arlene) Lewis of LaOtto, William (Sue) Lewis of Churubusco, and Larry Lewis of Fort Wayne; four daughters Glenna Robinson, Loretta (Walter) Pedigo, and Shirley Lewis, all of Churubusco, and Bettie (William) Beagan of Rossville, Ga; a sister Lillian Gebert of Fort Wayne; a daughter-in-law Bonnie Lewis of LaOtto; 24 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a son David Lewis in 2000; by three brothers Gerald Kumley in 1927, Charles Kumley in 1971, and Joe Kumley in 1998; six sisters Velda Kumley in 1928, Hazel Rhodes in 1982, Mary Grimmer in 1987, Dorothy Woodring in 2000, Martha Loeffler in 2001, and Mildred Wade in 2005; a daughter-in-law Sandra Lewis in 2007; three grandsons Matthew Beagan, Karl Carpenter, and Brian Lewis; and two great-grandchildren Jasmine Fee and Joshua Carpenter. Funeral services will be held at 2 p. m. Friday, January 4, at the Cornerstone Wesleyan Church in Merriam with Pastor George Cecil, officiating. The family will receive friends at the church on Thursday from 2 to 8 p. m., or one hour prior to the service Friday afternoon. Interment will be in the Eel River Cemetery, south of Churubusco. The family requests that memorials be directed to Visiting Nurse & Hospice Home, 5910 Homestead Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46804 ************************************ To leave a condolence for the family in Mrs. Lewis' memory, please click on "Condolences" below. . .