Robert "Bob" Dean Lewis

A good and kind man who touched the lives of so many with his kindness, intellect and humor passed away June 5, 2026 due to lung cancer. Bob Lewis, age 89, was born February 21, 1937 in Logan, Utah, the son of Lex and Uvada Lewis and grew up in the Logan 6th Ward. He attended the Woodfuff School, Logan junior and senior High Schools and Utah State University on a 4-year tennis scholarship. He served a mission in Western Canada and returned to Utah State where he joined the Delta Phi returned missionary fraternity whose Dream Girl was the lovely and talented Carolyn Tueller. They dated and were married in the Logan Temple in 1962. On the same day they were married, Carolyn received her Bachelor’s and Bob his Master’s degree.

Bob began a teaching career when he joined the English faculty at Rick’s College (now BYU-Idaho). Two years later, Bob was appointed Teaching Fellow at St. John’s University in NYC, where he earned a PhD in English in 1970. They then moved to San Francisco,CA, where Carolyn joined the San Francisco Opera and Bob was appointed to the faculty of DeAnza College in Cupertino. He also joined the staff at The Animation House, writing and directing the audio components for a variety of audio /visual programs. This led to a new career as he started his own company being a pioneer in audio books. Capitalizing on his friendship with a group of talented San Francisco actors, Bob adapted and dramatized a large number of English and American classics, from “The Wind in the Willows” to “The Odyssey”. The recordings were sold in bookstores, to libraries and schools and through Direct-Mail.

They purchased a home in Petaluma, CA, and had two children, Heidi and Rhett. But happy times did not always remain as Carolyn was diagnosed with Lymphoma and died in the Fall of 1989 at the age of 47. The following year Bob met and married the lovely and talented Laura Garff, a sister to one of his good friends. After four more years in Petaluma and Heidi in college and Rhett about to enroll at Syracuse University, Bob decided to retire and move back to Utah. Bob frequently told the story: “Laura wanted to move back to Salt Lake and I wanted to move back to Logan so we compromised and moved to Salt Lake.”

After building a beautiful get-away log home, Bob began a third career as a Lincoln Logs Homes salesman. At his first national convention, he was awarded the “Rookie” of the year award. He was very proud of that award and being a “Rookie” at age 65. After several years, he again retired to concentrate on writing, tennis and the search for the Higgs bosun. He wrote about a dozen books including three volumes of poetry, always printing more than sold.

Bob was a devoted man of faith. He served as a bishop of the University of California Medical Center student ward and as counselor in several bishoprics. He enjoyed teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all ages, especially the Primary children. He was a beloved influence on the youth of every ward he served in and was an example of discipleship, generosity, and unswerving testimony.

We will all miss his brilliant and humorous observations and love.

He is survived by his wife Laura, daughter Heidi Raven (Brian), son Rhett (Whitney), grandchildren Ella and Carter Raven. 

Funeral services will be held Friday, June 12, 2026 at 12:00 Noon, Brighton Stake Center, 2895 East Creek Road. Visitation will be held at the Brighton Stake Center on Thursday, June 11 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and day of the service 11:00 to 11:45. Interment will be held Saturday June 13 at 11:00 a.m. at Logan City Cemetery, Logan, Utah. The funeral service may also be viewed at the following link: https://youtube.com/live/V_x1n22d6So?feature=share

Donations may be made in Bob’s honor to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Go to T2T.org.