In Memoriam: Carl R. Lewis II

Carl Ray Lewis II, a veteran newspaperman who was executive editor of the Southwest Ledger and the Southwest Chronicle, died in his sleep at his home here on March 6. He was 52.

In 2010 Lewis enrolled at Murray State College at Tishomingo, where he studied behavioral scienc-es. While there he was a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and was named to Who’s Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities in 2012.

Continuing his education, Lewis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from East Cen-tral University at Ada in 2017.

In addition, he was a member of ECU’s Student Government Association, the Oklahoma Intercolle-giate Legislature, the ECU Young Democrats, and the Gay-Straight Alliance, according to biograph-ical information posted on LinkedIn.

Also while at ECU, Lewis worked on the school newspaper, The Journal. He began as a staff writer and progressed to become editor-in-chief.

After graduating from East Central, Lewis was hired at The Ada News, where he worked for a little over five years, 2015-20. Once again he started as a staff reporter and advanced to become the edi-tor for almost two and a half years.

He joined Hilliary Media Group on Sept. 1, 2020.

At the time of his death, Lewis had been a member of the Oklahoma Press Association for eight years and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors for six years.

Carl was born Jan. 24, 1970, in Midlothian, Texas. He is survived by four children: Justin Lewis, of the home in Lawton; Sean Lewis, of Denton, Texas; Bryan Lewis, of The Colony, Texas; and Bran-don Lewis, of Oklahoma. He also is survived by his sister, Amy Stone, of Calera; his father, Carl Ray Lewis of North Carolina; and four grandchildren.

In a recent Facebook post, Carl’s youngest son Justin wrote “My father loved his kids, his coffee, his Zippo lighters, his Swiss Army knives, Star Trek, Star Wars, Stephen King, Apple products, and so much more.”

Becker-Rabon Funeral Home said funeral services are pending.