Willis Eugene Lewis

Bill was born in Saline, LA on Nov 8, 1923 where he spent his childhood years and graduated from Saline High School. He entered Louisiana Tech University at the age of 16. In the midst of his college years, he served as Army Supply Sargeant during WWII. He then returned to college and received his BS Degree in Accounting in 1947.Upon graduation he joined Sears Roebuck Company initially training in Monroe, LA. He then became Personnel Manager in Birmingham, AL. It was here he met his loving wife, Jimmie Blackwell, whom he married in 1948. His career took him from Monroe, LA; to Birmingham, AL; Montgomery, AL; Orlando, FL; Richmond, VA; Atlanta, GA; and Chicago, IL. He held various positions in the Personnel field prior to entering the Company's Real Estate Division in 1952. For 16 years he was the head of Sears Southern Territorial Property Division in Atlanta, GA; responsible for the development and expansion of Sears locations throughout 13 Southern States. He took tremendous pride that the Sears stores he built in the South were an economic success.
In 1974, he was relocated and promoted to President of Homart Development Company at the Sears Tower in Chicago, IL. Homart, a subsidiary company of Sears involved in shopping center development became the nation's second largest mall developer. He was known to his business associates as a serious, hard driving, pragmatist, a company veteran, a leader, and a man with foresight and achievement. He managed his job with both small town charm and Corporate acumen, self-directed humor, and staunch dedication. In 1979 he retired to Stone Mountain, GA. During retirement Bill owned 7 Cookie Store franchises in major shopping malls across the United States. His favorite avocation was golf, which he played from age 26 to age 89. He considered golf "diverting", not relaxing, but always played to win. He spent many hours on the golf courses at Druid Hills Country Club and the Atlanta Athletic Club where he was a member for many years. Bill was widely known in the Commercial Real Estate field where he served on the Board of Trustees of the International Council of Shopping Centers. For 60 years, he was a devoted member of the Decatur First Baptist Church. He was a founding Board Member of the DeKalb General Hospital in Decatur, GA.

Funeral Home:
A.S. Turner
2773 N. Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033