C. Allen Lewis Jr., age 72, of Xenia, Illinois, passed away Saturday, October 11, 2025, at SSM Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon, with his family by his side.

      He was born August 9, 1953, in Decatur, the son of Clarence Sr. and Virginia (Salee) Lewis.  He was united in marriage to Marsha Eskew on April 12, 1974, at the Flora First Methodist Church, and together they have shared 51 years of marriage.

      Allen and Marsha owned and operated CALCO, INC., a gas pipeline company after buying out Chet Eskew and Eskew Pipeline.  Chet and Allen worked side by side every day, talked on the phone every evening, and shared their birthdays on August 9, just 25 years apart.  Allen was a devoted husband and father.  His belief in God grounded his life and gave him strength through every season.  He often put family above his beloved Kentucky Wildcats basketball team on game day.  He absolutely loved watching basketball, especially when his kids and grandkids were playing.  If not watching sports, he could be found outside on one of his many pieces of equipment, changing the landscape of his wooden oasis at the end of the drive.  Woodworking was a favorite passion—building furniture, picture frames, and display cabinets that are still in use in his home after almost 40 years.  In the evenings, Allen and Marsha could often be found at a restaurant having supper with a host of friends—the restaurant, the friends, and the time were always different, but his very limited food selections never changed.  He could be heard saying he likes 10 things to eat and if he finds something new, he will have to throw one of his favorites out, and there’s no sense in that.  You always knew where he sat during a basketball game by the popcorn he would spill from his hands onto the floor around his feet.

      Traveling was a favorite of his, driving his family to all 48 mainland states and taking the boys’ pictures in front of every capitol building.  He and Marsha eventually traveled to Alaska and Hawaii, then on to other countries around the world.  On one trip, their ship even broke down several miles from land, and they spent the next few days exploring on their own as the rest of the party was separated into different countries and flights.  Most evenings were spent telling old work stories and recalling where he laid each foot of pipe in every town he went through years later.  Allen had been a devoted member of the Community of Christ Church in Effingham and a member of the Xenia Volunteer Fire Department for 13 years.

      He is survived by his wife: Marsha Lewis of Xenia; sons: Travis Lewis of Xenia and Aaron (Lindsay) Lewis of Katy, Texas;  4 grandchildren: Trey (Christy) Lewis of Flora, Reygan Lewis (Matthew) of Flora, Trevin Lewis of Xenia, and Bradley Lewis of Katy, Texas;  great-grandson: Titus Lewis of Flora;  brother: Tom (Sharon) Barbre of Flora;  brother-in-law: Brent (Mary) Eskew of Flora;  sister-in-law: Becky (Wayne) Kissel of Eureka, Missouri;  and a handful of nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

      Allen is preceded in passing by his parents;  stepparents: Ernie and Edna Mounts;  father-in-law and mother-in-law: Chet and Ernie Eskew;  and sisters-in-law: Nancy Dee Courtright and Rita Barbre.

      A ceremony celebrating Allen’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 17, 2025, at the Community of Christ Church in Flora.  There will be no visitation.  Arrangements are by Frank & Bright Funeral Home in Flora.  Memorial donations are suggested to the Community of Christ Church in Effingham or the Xenia Volunteer Fire Department, and these will be accepted through the funeral home.  To share a condolence or memory, visit: www.frankandbright.com