Former Lewisville Mayor Gene Carey died Monday at his home after a brief illness. Carey, 73, was the longest-tenured mayor in the city’s history, holding that office from 2000 until 2009.
Mayor Rudy Durham has ordered the city flag be lowered to half-staff at all municipal facilities from now through the date of interment.
Carey was the 21st person to serve as mayor of Lewisville since the city incorporated in 1925. A native of Pawhuska, Okla. and a U.S. Army veteran, he and his family moved to Lewisville in 1972. He was married to his wife, Irene, for almost 50 years and they have two sons and five grandchildren.
Carey worked more than 38 years for Halliburton. He served on the Lewisville Parks Board before being elected to the City Council in 1993, then won his first of four terms as Mayor in 2000. While Mayor, he also served on the Animal Services Advisory Board, Lewisville Parks and Development Corporation, Lewisville Local Government Corporation, and the Community Relations Committee.
Community activities included longtime membership in Lakeside Baptist Church, volunteer work with Christian Community Action, and membership in Citizens Police Academy Alumni, Denton County Republican Men’s Club, and Lewisville Economic Development Foundation.
His service to the community did not stop when he retired from serving as the Lewisville’s mayor. He went on to serve as chairman of the Arts Advisory Board and the Charter Review Commission, and as a board member of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #2.
Services information is forthcoming.
The following is the proclamation issued Monday by Mayor Durham that orders the lowering of City flags.
BY THE MAYOR OF LEWISVILLE, TEXAS A PROCLAMATION
Today, the City of Lewisville has lost a close friend and enthusiastic champion, former Mayor Gene Carey.
Mayor Carey was the 21st person to serve in that office, and his four terms totaling nine years made him the longest-tenured mayor in Lewisville history. However, it was not his tenure that made him a beloved and respected figure – it was his steadfast dedication to a community that had been his home since 1972, and his sincere concern for all the people who live and work in Lewisville, that made Mayor Carey the kind of leader who comes along so rarely and makes such a tremendous impact.
His deep love for Lewisville extended beyond public office and included active membership at Lakeland Baptist Church, volunteer work with Christian Community Action, and membership in Citizens Police Academy Alumni, Denton County Republican Men’s Club, and Lewisville Economic Development Foundation.
While we mourn his passing, we will forever honor the memory and legacy of Mayor Gene Carey. The small town of Lewisville to which he and his family moved in 1972 has grown into a thriving city of 100,000 people. His efforts helped make that possible, and his positive influence on Lewisville will endure for generations.
As a mark of respect for the memory of Gene Carey, by the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Lewisville, I hereby order that the Lewisville city flag shall be flown at half-staff from this time until
sunset on the day of interment, at City Hall and upon all municipal buildings and grounds.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of April, 2016.
MAYOR RUDY DURHAM
