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Last Updated: Jul 9, 2010 - 8:31 AM |
Filling stations and fire departments—that pretty much sums up the life of Jim Lewis of Osceola.
Jim and his family moved to Osceola when he was one year old, and he has lived there ever since.
Just last week, Jim officially hung up his hat on his final job in Osceola, he said, as he officially retired from Husker Coop where he has worked the past 7 1/2 years. Jim's mechanical skills will be greatly missed in the community, as he has changed oil, fixed tires, or did whatever "general purpose" mechanics needed to be done.
Jim has worked around gas stations all of his life. "I grew up in the business," he said.
When Jim was just a child, his grandfather, Bert Lewis owned a gas station on Hwy. 81 in Osceola and his grandmother, Tillie ran the cafe next to the station. "Gas was 10¢ a gallon then," Jim's wife, Lorraine commented.
In 1940, Jim's dad, Dale Lewis started a little station where the Mills & Reiter Law Office sits today. Dale eventually took over his dad's station on the highway. The roles reversed in 1972 when Jim purchased the station from his father, and Dale continued to work there as long as his health allowed. Jim sold Lewis Service in 2002.
When Jim wasn't playing "mechanic" he was busy being a "fireman." Jim is quite proud to be a 4th generation fireman. He served as an Osceola Volunteer Fireman for over 40 years and acted as Chief for 30 years. He held several other offices in the department as well.
"Lorraine has always been a big part of that," Jim said. "When I had to take off work to go to a fire, Lorraine covered the station. When the whistle blew, she came a runnin'."
Lorraine also took EMT class so she could run the ambulance during the day. "We were short on ambulance help for a period of time years ago, so the women ran it during the day and us guys took the nights and the weekends."
Jim and Lorraine made a great team in Osceola, and are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. "Since 1960, it's been 'we' not 'me'," Jim said.
For many years, Jim was a fire instructor and traveled all over Nebraska to teach Fire Fighter I training for the State Fire Marshal's Department. He took great pride in being a fireman and teaching others. "It was one way I could give back to the community," Jim added.
After Jim sold his station, he dispatched for the Polk County Sheriff's Office on the night shift and worked at the Husker Coop station during the day. "That got to be a lot," Jim said, "I didn't work both jobs for very long."
The last job Jim completed at Husker Coop was putting different heads and valves on the old 1929 fire truck so it would be up and running for parades. "That was a 'labor of love,'" Jim said. "That fire truck took my dad to the cemetery, and it was his wishes that the truck stay in operation."
Jim wasn't planning to work at the Coop station for this long, but he felt the need to finish what he had started. "The fire department is still special to me and Lorraine, and it always will be," Jim added.
Jim has enjoyed living and working in Osceola his entire life. He loved mechanics, but his knees finally told him it was time to quit. "Those tires are just too heavy for an old man," he said.
The Lewis' have led a busy life, but they did find a little time to travel. They have been to Corpus Christie, TX; the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Washington, Vancouver, Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. "We travel for the scenery," Jim said, "We like to go where it's quiet, and we especially like the mountains." They haven't been to the northeastern states, so they're thinking maybe it's time to head that direction.
Boredom won't be a problem for Jim and Lorraine, as they plan to continue traveling and looking at wildlife. They enjoy feeding birds and have several feeders in their yard. They also are avid gardeners. They gave up the vegetable garden a couple years ago, but still have an array of beautiful flower gardens throughout their place. "It's also about time for me to get some work done around the house," Jim concluded.
The community of Osceola is very fortunate to have people like Jim and Lorraine who have given so many volunteer hours and years of service in so many capacities.
"Osceola has been good to us," both Jim and Lorraine agreed. We've always been happy here. It's a great place to live."
© Copyright 2010 by polkcountynewspaper.com
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