CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Fire Marshal Ken Tyree says he’s more thankful than ever for the work Sterling Lewis did during his 13 years in the position that Tyree now holds.
Tyree and the many others who knew Lewis are mourning his death. Lewis, a native of Raleigh County, died Wednesday. He was 62.
The steps Lewis took following the explosion at the Little General Store in Ghent in 2007 and his general passion for improving safety stands out to Tyree.
“His concern for safety and his concern for fire departments in general when it came to recruitment and retention. Without that start or the inception of those programs under his helm things would be different,” Tyree said.
According to Tyree, Lewis had been sick with the last seven to eight weeks being the most difficult. He died in Hospice care at Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston. He retired in 2013.
Firefighting was in Lewis’ blood, Tyree said, and it wasn’t unusual to have him show up at a fire scene.
“He was definitely out there among those that he worked with,” he said.
Lewis was a volunteer fire chief in Beaver before his 2000 appointment to the fire marshal’s job.
You never had to wonder where you stood with Lewis, Tyree said.
“He definitely was straightforward. You knew where he was coming from, which you have to appreciate because he was passionate about things he was concerned about,” he said.
Tyree says he knows Lewis, a former member of the House of Delegates, was able to enjoy a few years of his retirement. He was an avid boater.