Birckhead, Lewis

Mr. Lewis M. Birckhead, age 87, died Saturday, February 10, 2007. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on July 3, 1919 to Lewis & Nettie (Green). At Shorewood High School in Milwaukee, WI, he played guard on the school's football team and kept life-long relationships with some of his teammates. Indeed, he kept the team portrait on his wall throughout the years. Lewis then attended and graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and graduated with a B.S. degree in Administrative Engineering. Also while at Cornell, he joined the ROTC the last horse-drawn field artillery in the ROTC and went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corp. as a 2nd Lieutenant active in the European Theater of Operations including England, France, Belgium & Germany. He was honorably discharged from the Army as a Major. While on leave and waiting reassignment to the Pacific theater of operations, he received news of the war's end and promptly married the former Sylvia Marie Lecher on August 25, 1945. After 58 years of marriage, Sylvia died August 21, 2003. Out of the Army and married, Lewis began working at Dresser Industries in Bradford, PA in December 1945. Eight years and 3 children later, the family moved to Grand Rapids, MI and eventually to Grand Haven while Lewis worked for Gardner-Denver, at the time known as Keller Tool Co., until his retirement in July 1980. He and Sylvia traveled extensively in Europe, the Orient, Soviet Union where he made it his personal mission to convert as many inhabitants to capitalism as possible, & the Caribbean where his parents had a retirement home. They were long-time members of the Spring Lake Country Club & Lewis participated regularly with a group of fellow bowlers where they cured all the world's problems on a weekly basis over lunch. He was a member of Grand Haven First Presbyterian Church & served as Trustee for 4 years. Mr. Birckhead was also on the North Ottawa Community Hospital Board for 3 years serving part of that time as Treasurer; Grand Haven School Board for 4 years with his last year as President; regularly volunteered at the Tri-Cities Historical Museum; was an active member of Grand Haven Rotary & volunteered in the Strive Program & advisor with Junior Achievement. SURVIVORS Carolyn B. Matlack, J.D. of Mooresville, North Carolina;1 son, Larry (Mattie Walker) Birckhead of Vancouver, British Columbia; Eleanor McCowan of Salt Lake City, Utah; 2 grandchildren, Rhoda Brock & James Pokorny II; 5 great grandchildren, Corey Ehinger, Mikaela Brock & James Pokorny III & the newly minted twins, Maya & Kaya Pokorny. Lewis was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Sylvia & sister, Barbara B. Paxson. MEMORIAL SERVICE A memorial service will be held in July of 2007, the time & place will be announced in July. In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to the Tri-Cities Historical Museum or Grand Haven Presbyterian Church.