William Barry Dews, 76, of Lake City, Florida, took a last, peaceful breath in the early morning of May 12, ending an extended battle with dementia.

He was the middle child of Hunter E. Dews and Louise C Dews, born in Roanoke, Virginia. At an early age, "Bill" had a knack for taking things apart, just so he could put them back together again.  At 17, he joined the Air Force, where he furthered his interests in all things mechanical. While stationed in Rota, Spain, he was assigned to the Motor Pool. He served for 5 years with honor and distinction, was always proud of his service and his country, and was a long time member of the American Legion and Moose Club.

Bill was a fastidious and meticulous aircraft mechanic. After the tumultuous closing of  Eastern Airlines, he brought his A and P license from South Florida to join AERO/Timco from 1991 to 2012. A 32 year resident of Lake City, Bill embraced all that rural living offered--fishing, hunting, tinkering in his garage, sunsets on Ocean Pond,  enjoying wings and a beer with his wife and friends at local establishments.

Bill is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Kathy, his sister Debbie and her children Casey and Spenser Wood of Laguna Niguel, CA , nieces Kelly Kerr (Tim) of St. Louis, Mo, Caroline George (Sebastian) of Dayton, Oh, nephew Andrew D'Anza (Linda) of Joliet, Illinois, and numerous great nieces and nephews. He is pre-deceased by his beloved son, William "BJ" Dews who passed in 2012.

Funeral services for Mr. Dews will be conducted on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 11:00 AM in the Gateway-Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel.  Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery.  A visitation with the family will be one hour prior to the service from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.