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Lewis B. Ambler, 81, longtime resident of Bartlesville, passed away on November 5, 2016.
Lewis was a Halloween baby, born October 31, 1935 to Anne Bebout and Morris Kirby Ambler in Kansas City, Missouri.
Lew is survived by his wife, Sharon, his son Scott and his wife Martha of Bartlesville, his daughter Julie Hill and her husband Kenneth of Southlake, Texas and his son Wade Ambler of Kansas City, his grandchildren Christopher Ambler and his wife Rachel, Kelsey Kliewer and her husband Austin, Cara Daniels and her husband Austin, Daniel Ambler, Kirby Ambler and Elizabeth Hill and two great grandchildren, Alexis and Arabella. He is also survived by a sister, Jaryl Ambler Brown and her husband Robert of Rogue River, Oregon and a brother, Kirby Ambler and his wife Michelle of Mesquite, Nevada.
Lewis lived in Des Moines, Iowa from the age of 4 to age 15, at which time his father was transferred to Bartlesville with Phillips Petroleum Company. He graduated from College High in 1953 and received his undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis in 1956. During college he was a member of Beta Theta Pi social fraternity and participated in several theatrical productions.
Upon graduation from college he married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Smythe and entered the School of Law at Washington University, receiving his Juris Doctorate degree in 1959. During law school he belonged to Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity and upon graduation, joined the Missouri Bar and accepted a position with Phillips Petroleum Company, in the Treasury Department in Bartlesville.
The next spring he took and passed the Oklahoma Bar Exam and became licensed to practice in the State of Oklahoma. In December of 1960, Lew resigned from Phillips and accepted a position as Assistant District Attorney in Washington County. After serving in that position for two years, Lew was elected as County Attorney and served two years in that capacity. The Oklahoma Legislature created the position of District Attorney in 1966 and created one position encompassing Washington and Nowata counties. Lew was then elected to the newly-created position of District Attorney and served in that capacity for seven years. In 1984, he was selected as the outstanding Assistant District Attorney in the State of Oklahoma. He later served several years in a part time capacity as First Assistant District Attorney. In addition to the District Attorney positions, Lew also developed and maintained a private law practice with James L. Sontag, maintaining offices in Nowata and Bartlesville. Following Mr. Sontag's election as Associate District Judge in Nowata County, Lew closed the Nowata portion of his practice and continued to practice in Bartlesville until his retirement in December of 2014. Stephen Conatser joined him in the law practice in 1984.
In his younger years Lewis was very active in the Bartlesville Jaycees and served the organization in many different capacities on the local, state and national levels, receiving the Jaycees' Distinguished Service Award as the Outstanding Young Man in Bartlesville in 1965. He also coached many of his children's little league teams. Perhaps Lew's most satisfying personal experiences came with his involvement in girls' fast pitch softball. He was instrumental in forming a local organization called Blazer Sports. "The Blazers" were its signature team, winning 3rd place in the nation in Los Cruces, New Mexico in 1982. In 1997, the Oklahoma State Amateur Softball Association elected Lew to its Hall of Fame and the Blazers were inducted into the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
Lewis was a friend to many and loved by all, especially his family and close friends.
A Memorial Service will be held at Bartlesville First Church on Wednesday November 9, at 1:00 pm. Buz Wierick will be the officiant.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial will be established at Arvest Bank c/o Rachelle Wilson to benefit girls' softball in Bartlesville, or please donate to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home.
Funeral Home
Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home
710 Southeast Dewey
Bartlesville, OK
74003
918-336-5225
Published in Examiner-Enterprise from Nov. 7 to Dec. 6, 2016
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