Lewis Solomon Thayer

Lewis Solomon Thayer passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at the Wilson County Medical Center in Neodesha, Kansas at the age of 35. He was born on November 3, 1980 in Plainville, Kansas to Patrick and Lorna (Hahn) Thayer. He grew up in the Stockton, Kansas area and graduated from Stockton High School with the Class of 1999. Following high school, he attended Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland, Kansas with a focus on Diesel Mechanics. On April 28, 2007 Lewis was united in marriage to Kathleen Young in Smith Center, Kansas. Later they moved to Cherryvale, Kansas where they made their home for two years before moving on to Neodesha in 2009. Together they went to work for Cobalt Boats LLC in Neodesha where Lewis was a Fiberglass Lamination Team Lead before he became ill. Lewis enjoyed football and NASCAR, even to the point of developing an interactive website so he and his friends could keep up with each other and create friendly competition, or maybe sometimes not-so-friendly, over the stats and scores of their favorite teams and players. But the greatest love of his life was his family and children. From races to airshows, from model cars to drones, time with the kids was sometimes adventurous, sometimes educational, but always fun. During this past summer vacation, Lewis built a NASCAR-like race track and modified the kids’ bicycles so they could host neighborhood races in their own backyard. Left to cherish Lewis’s memory are his wife Kathleen, their three sons Zachary Ryan, Isaac Randall, and Vincent Russell, and their daughter Shelby Lynn, all of the home in Neodesha; parents Patrick and Lorna Thayer of Stockton; brothers Aaron Thayer of Stockton, and Clayton Thayer and wife Cammie of Stockton; sister Melissa Saaranen and husband Andy of Stockton; grandmother Imogene Thayer of Stockton; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Austin Thayer, and Clyde and Meda Rae Hahn. A loving husband, father, brother, son, co-worker, friend and neighbor, Lewis found the perfect balance in working hard to support his family and spending time with those who were most important in his life. Although he was taken from us way too soon and will be greatly missed, his smile and laughter, his love and dedication, and his heart and spirit will remain with us forever. A memorial service will be held at the Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home in Stockton at 10:30 am on Saturday, December 5, 2015. A private family burial will be held at a later date.