Dorvon 'Chuck' Lewer

Announcing the Loss of Family Patriarch & Kansas City Business Legend, Dorvon "Chuck" Lewer
Kansas City entrepreneur, Lewer family patriarch, and self-made man, Dorvon "Chuck" Lewer passed away by his wifes side at his home in Kansas City, Missouri on August 22, 2019 at the age of 92. Chuck was a visionary leader in business and in family life; his greatest achievements include building The Lewer Companies and a devoted family of over 50 children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Chuck was a devoted husband; by trade, he was a consummate salesman; and in all things, he was a man of action, determination, principle and faith.
Born May 1, 1928 to Robert and Marie (Raemisch) Lewer, Chuck was raised on a dairy farm during the Great Depression in Verona, Wisconsin, where he learned a hard days work while attending a one room brick schoolhouse. He met Wisconsin beauty Mary Louise Lewer (Novak) at a wedding where he asked her to dance, sparking their 72-year love story. After hitchhiking to California at age 18 and discovering his penchant for selling, Chuck longed for his childhood sweetheart. He proposed to Mary in a postcard, leading her to accept the proposal, buy a new hat, and board a train westward to marry Chuck in Santa Barbara in 1947. Meanwhile, Chuck would continue to hone his sales craft over the next nine years.
In 1956, they moved to Texas where Chuck designed retirement programs for small business affiliates of large oil companies throughout the country. Chuck moved to Kansas City in 1961 and founded The Lewer Agency in the Power & Light building. He landed his first account with Conoco, historically making 38 visits to Conoco businesses, followed by 38 sales. During this time Chuck was honored by Insurance Salesman Magazine as the number-one producing life insurance agent in the United States. Over the next 60 years, he would relocate the Agency to The Country Club Plaza, acquiring nearby properties to form the "Lewer Block," and expanding the business internationally, ultimately retiring in 2004.
As the Lewer family patriarch, family was most important to him. He was a constant present force in his familys lives, often imparting wisdom and building character through acts of hard work as he had learned growing up on a farm. He was a lifelong Roman Catholic; he shook the hand of Saint John Paul II inside the Vatican while approving plans to build the National Shrine of Mary Mother of the Church in Laurie, Missouri with late friend Fr. Fred Barnett. In 1991, he was knighted by the United States Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Chuck was a man of many talents; he was a skilled painter, and a dear friend to the gifted, including the great American painter Thomas Hart Benton. His children admired his baritone singing and worldly explorations. By age 14, hed learned to fly planes and drive a Ford Model T. All his life, he loved animals, and tended impeccable gardens of fruits, vegetables, and rose varieties. He most enjoyed creating memories with his family at the Lake of the Ozarks and South Padre Island, where he went fishing, boating, and protected wildlife. He felt most free in spirit while driving his old Cadillac, John Deer tractors, and Yamaha golf cart wearing his favorite boots, hat, vest, and bolo tie.
Chuck lived with clear direction. As a young boy, he learned to recite the following poem by Father Martin von Cochem, the 17th century German theologian; it would define his lifes intentions:
"Life is short and death is sure / the hour of death remains obscure / A soul you have, and only one / if that be lost, all hope is gone / Waste not time, while time shall last / for after death tis ever past / All-seeing God, your Judge will be / and Heaven or hell your destiny / All earthly things will speed away / Eternity, alone, will stay."
He is survived by his wife Mary, and eight children: Patti Lewer Shaw of Shawnee Mission, KS, Michael Lewer and his wife, Vickie, of Leawood, KS, Mary Ellen Owens and her husband, John, of Kansas City, MO, Robert Lewer and his wife, Heidi, of Kenosha, WI, Lori Kaylor and her husband, Jeff, of Leander, Texas, Charley Lewer and his wife, Linda, of Louisburg, KS, Gregory Lewer and his wife, Julie, of Kansas City, MO, and Christopher Lewer and his wife, Annette, of Kansas City, MO. He was preceded in death by his siblings, Robert J. "Bob" Lewer and Lucille Lewer Pernsteiner, and daughter Linda Lewer.
All services at Christ the King Church, 8510 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, MO. The Wake will be held Thursday, August 29 from 5:30-7:30pm with the Rosary prayed at 5:30pm. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 9am, Friday, August 30th led by Fr. Lockwood. Memorial contributions may be given to the Vitae Foundation and Little Sisters of the Poor. For more information, please call Steve at Muehlebach Funeral Home, 816-444-2060.
Rosary Christ the King Church

Thursday, August 29, 2019

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM

8510 Wornall RdKansas City, Missouri 64114
Directions Visitation Christ the King Church

Thursday, August 29, 2019

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

8510 Wornall RdKansas City, Missouri 64114
Directions Mass of Christian Burial Christ the King Church

Friday, August 30, 2019

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

8510 Wornall RdKansas City, Missouri 64114
Directions