1956-2024
Barbara Jo Anderson Lewis, 68, was born on April 9, 1956, in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Wayne R. and JoAnne Anderson. She was the second of five children and grew up in town, and then at the ranch in Rapid Valley. Barb was a helping hand on the ranch, working cattle and putting up hay the old-fashioned way. She loved sharing stories of riding horses through the grasslands, avoiding snakes, and bonding with her siblings through it all. When she visited home later in life, she would offer to help her father, Wayne, who always teased, “You forgot everything I taught you and now you talk back.”
Barb’s early education was at White Eagle, a true country school. She graduated from Rapid City Central in 1974, where she excelled in band and debate. Barb then attended Black Hills State College, discovering her natural ability to argue and her strong analytical skills. This led her to pursue law school at the University of South Dakota, where she earned her JD in 1984.
While friends in high school, Barb and Mike reconnected at their tenth high school reunion. Barb and Mike were married in Sioux Falls on December 21, 1985. They were blessed with a son, Adam Theodore, on August 7, 1989.
After law school, Barb blazed her path by becoming the first female attorney at the state’s oldest and largest law firm, Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith. On the day Adam was born, Barb broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman partner at Woods Fuller. She continued her legal career in Fargo before finally joining Lynn Jackson in Rapid City in 2012, where she practiced until her passing. Barb was known as a tenacious but fair opponent. She was impeccable with her words. Timeliness and respectfulness were truths she held dear.
Barb was a friend, a colleague, a sister, a daughter, a wife, and a mother. Her kindness, honesty, and appreciation for life touched everyone she met. While she took her professional responsibilities very seriously, she always made time to travel, to try new things, and to enjoy the outdoors. Barb cherished supporting Adam, whether it was through Scouting adventures like the Philmont trek in 2009 and the World Jamboree in 2019 or cheering for him in Taekwondo. She was a longtime member of PEO (serving as President of two different Chapters) and supported the Black Hills Boy Scout Council. She was also a member of the Central Region Trust Fund Committee for the Boys Scouts of America and the Executive Committee of the BSA Central Region. Barb served on and was chair of the Westhills Village Retirement Community Board of Directors. She was an avid reader with a voracious appetite for books.
Just as she began to enjoy preretirement activities, such as a European river cruise in 2022 with one of her siblings, Barb started experiencing early symptoms of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. She faced her two+-year battle with the same grit and determination she brought to everything in life, never giving in and embracing every possible activity and treatment; including taking time for an Alaska cruise and a trip to see the New England colors.
Barb died on July 27, 2024, while a resident of Westhills Village Healthcare. The staff there providing incredible support, and her family is forever grateful.
Barb was preceded by the death of her father Wayne R. Anderson. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband Michael; her son, Adam (Jessica) Lewis; her soon-to-be-born grandson, Baby Boy Lewis; her puppy, Misty; her mother, JoAnne Anderson; her siblings Bruce Anderson (Martha), Jill Carpenter (Bryan), and Karen deWit (Damon), Doug Anderson (Kristin), and many nieces and nephews.
A service will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at Faith Lutheran Church, in Rapid City at 11am, with visitation before and after the memorial service, In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established to the ALS Association and Westhills Village. If you have a charity you would prefer, please consider remembering Barb.
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