Obituary for Lewis Darrell Aikens
Lewis Darrell Aikens, 54, of Marshall went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, August 14th, 2022. He is the son of Larry and Phyllis Hensley Aikens. Lewis was a lifelong resident of Madison County, living most of his life in the Shelton Laurel community.
Lewis had a lot of academic achievements both in the classroom and out. He was a part of the 1986 graduating class at Madison High School where he graduated in the top 10% of his class as a North Carolina Scholar. Lewis participated in football, basketball, and track and field. However, his love of basketball was evident. He spent his most of free time working on perfecting his free throws. Following high school graduation, Lewis continued his education at Mars Hill College. He graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. While at Mars Hill College, he was a proud member of Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity.
After his college graduation, he worked many jobs before joining the United States Army. He left for basic training in March of 1994. After he completed basic training, he was given the rank of Specialist (E4). He was stationed at USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He was recognized for many achievements and honored with numerous decorations including Expert Marksmanship. While a solider at Fort Detrick, he was published and co-authored to help develop vaccinations with Dr. Mary Kay Heart.
Upon receiving an honorable discharge from the United States Army, Lewis returned back to Madison County where he worked several jobs in the medical industry and was most recently employed at Genova Diagnostics as a 3rd shift Endocrinology Supervisor and Lab Technician. He was greatly admired and respected by his colleagues.
Above all other achievements, Lewis was a devoted husband and loving father. His greatest joy came from being a daddy. He spent many hours hiding Easter Eggs well after dark, cleaning up the mounds of wrapping paper after Christmas morning, putting together new toys to play with and spending summers outside at his swimming pool. Lewis was never the parent who liked to discipline his children as he found everything, they did to be hilarious. He put countless hours into making sure his son was successful on the basketball court while also being on the sidelines supporting his pageant queen and cheerleader. In most recent years, Lewis has enjoyed sipping coffee on the front porch with his wife, taking his Daisy Mae on rides, many trips cruising the seas, and restoring his 1970 Chevelle. When Lewis was not at work or spending time with his family, he was in a tree stand. He was an avid hunter, enjoyed fishing, and just being in nature.
Lewis is survived by the love of his life of 28 years, Stacy Holt Aikens; daughter, Kelci Ross (Zachary); son, Kelby Aikens; sister, Wanda Clemens (Jim); grandmother, Ella Johnson Hensley; father and mother in-law, Glen and Sheila Holt; brothers-in-law, Glen Dale Holt (Misha), Billy Holt (Josh), and Bobby Holt (Patrick); nieces, Crystal, Ashley, Maci, and Izabella; nephews, Wesley, Bravyn, Dalyn, and Blaze; and 3 great nieces as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A funeral service will be held at 2pm Friday, August 19th, 2022, at Robbie Capps Memorial Chapel of Blue Ridge Funeral Service. Reverends Sam Adams and Jimmy Dean Hensley will officiate. Burial will follow at Fairview United Methodist Church Cemetery in Hot Springs. The family will receive friends from 5-7PM on Thursday, August 18th, 2022, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Blue Ridge Funeral Service, PO Box 27, Mars Hill, NC 28754, to assist the family with final expenses.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org
Lewis had a lot of academic achievements both in the classroom and out. He was a part of the 1986 graduating class at Madison High School where he graduated in the top 10% of his class as a North Carolina Scholar. Lewis participated in football, basketball, and track and field. However, his love of basketball was evident. He spent his most of free time working on perfecting his free throws. Following high school graduation, Lewis continued his education at Mars Hill College. He graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. While at Mars Hill College, he was a proud member of Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity.
After his college graduation, he worked many jobs before joining the United States Army. He left for basic training in March of 1994. After he completed basic training, he was given the rank of Specialist (E4). He was stationed at USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He was recognized for many achievements and honored with numerous decorations including Expert Marksmanship. While a solider at Fort Detrick, he was published and co-authored to help develop vaccinations with Dr. Mary Kay Heart.
Upon receiving an honorable discharge from the United States Army, Lewis returned back to Madison County where he worked several jobs in the medical industry and was most recently employed at Genova Diagnostics as a 3rd shift Endocrinology Supervisor and Lab Technician. He was greatly admired and respected by his colleagues.
Above all other achievements, Lewis was a devoted husband and loving father. His greatest joy came from being a daddy. He spent many hours hiding Easter Eggs well after dark, cleaning up the mounds of wrapping paper after Christmas morning, putting together new toys to play with and spending summers outside at his swimming pool. Lewis was never the parent who liked to discipline his children as he found everything, they did to be hilarious. He put countless hours into making sure his son was successful on the basketball court while also being on the sidelines supporting his pageant queen and cheerleader. In most recent years, Lewis has enjoyed sipping coffee on the front porch with his wife, taking his Daisy Mae on rides, many trips cruising the seas, and restoring his 1970 Chevelle. When Lewis was not at work or spending time with his family, he was in a tree stand. He was an avid hunter, enjoyed fishing, and just being in nature.
Lewis is survived by the love of his life of 28 years, Stacy Holt Aikens; daughter, Kelci Ross (Zachary); son, Kelby Aikens; sister, Wanda Clemens (Jim); grandmother, Ella Johnson Hensley; father and mother in-law, Glen and Sheila Holt; brothers-in-law, Glen Dale Holt (Misha), Billy Holt (Josh), and Bobby Holt (Patrick); nieces, Crystal, Ashley, Maci, and Izabella; nephews, Wesley, Bravyn, Dalyn, and Blaze; and 3 great nieces as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A funeral service will be held at 2pm Friday, August 19th, 2022, at Robbie Capps Memorial Chapel of Blue Ridge Funeral Service. Reverends Sam Adams and Jimmy Dean Hensley will officiate. Burial will follow at Fairview United Methodist Church Cemetery in Hot Springs. The family will receive friends from 5-7PM on Thursday, August 18th, 2022, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Blue Ridge Funeral Service, PO Box 27, Mars Hill, NC 28754, to assist the family with final expenses.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralservice.org