James Chester Lewis

James Chester Lewis, 89, of McKinney, Texas, passed away August 10 following a brief illness. The son of Irene and Robert Lewis, Jim was born on September 14, 1936, and grew up in New Jersey. As a young man, Jim was active in the Boy Scouts, loved to fish, and was a diehard New York Yankees fan.

Jim attended the University of Oxford in England where he met the love of his life, Anita (née Kleiber). Jim and Anita were married in her hometown of Detmold, Germany, and they later welcomed their daughters Robin and Katrina.

After graduating with a degree in nuclear physics, Jim and Anita settled in Dallas, Texas, where Jim joined Texas Instruments in its early years. Over the course of his career, he held several patents in integrated circuit design and advanced through a variety of executive positions, working in several Texas locations, including Dallas, Houston, and Lubbock. In the late 1990s, Jim took his experience in the semiconductor industry overseas, becoming an executive with a semiconductor startup in Bangkok, Thailand.

After moving to Dallas in the 1960s, Jim quickly became a devoted Dallas Cowboys fan, a passion he carried throughout his life. That love of sports extended beyond the Cowboys, as Jim took particular pride in watching his children and grandchildren compete in youth sports and celebrated their accomplishments. He also cherished family vacations, especially trips to the beaches of Padre Island, Destin, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Kiawah Island. He enjoyed visiting many National Parks, even celebrating some of his milestone birthdays at Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. These shared experiences with family created many of the memories Jim treasured most throughout his life.

In retirement, Jim and Anita returned to the Dallas area, where Jim continued his lifelong love of baseball, following the Rangers and listening to their games on the radio, much as he had as a young man. He and Anita traveled extensively, enjoying time with friends and family. He especially looked forward to cheering on his grandchildren at their many competitions.

Jim is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anita Lewis, daughter Robin Lewis, son-in-law Matt Anderson and granddaughter Alexis Anderson of Frisco, Texas, and daughter Katrina Kimpel, son-in-law Scott Kimpel and grandsons Rex and Ross Kimpel of Washington, DC.

In lieu of flowers, please make gifts to National Park Foundation - www.nationalparks.org