DELIGHTFUL OBITUARY FOR BOB LEWIS

 Going out with a bang!

 

Former BJ printer Bob Lewis’ obituary appeared in the BJ today.

 

It was written so brilliantly and delightfully that I will let it speak for itself except for this comment: Bob loved Hank Williams songs; so did I; the favorite for both of us was “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”  

 

Bob’s obituary with a tip of my cap to whoever wrote it:

 

Robert C. Lewis died July 4, 2021 at his home in Sarasota in the company of his family after a long battle with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was 78.

 

You had to see him to believe him. Friends remember him debating the political issues of the day. “He’d take whatever side you weren’t on,” one friend recalled, “to make things interesting or to keep you guessing what he really thought. Probably both.”

 

He could sing old Hank Williams’ tunes (“Your Cheatin’ Heart” was a favorite). He read books about early American history with an academic’s passion. He never drank coffee at Starbucks. Anybody could do that. “Hot chocolate, please.”

 

He despised flying anywhere and made as many road trips across America as a truck driver.

 

When walking replaced his running habit, Bob tramped along Ohio’s country roads for miles every day in old leather boots until they wore out, then he just kept going. He even walked part of the Great Wall of China.

 

He wore a mischievous grin like Dennis the Menace (which never did wear out) because he loved to keep people wondering what was on his mind. There was always something. Like his family and his friends.

 

Robert dedicated his life to his family and service to others. Throughout his life he found ways to help those in need: as a fundraiser for the United Way; a tax preparer for low-income families through AARP; a counselor for a Salvation Army program that provides financial support and advice to those at risk of homelessness; a member of the Wadsworth Lions Club; an Eucharistic minister for the housebound in the Roman Catholic Church.

 

Professionally, he worked at the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper for 35 years in key roles throughout the company, starting as a Linotype operator and retiring as Building and Facilities manager.

 

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Akron and qualified as a CPA. He was a long distance runner, completing 13 marathons and inspired his friends and relatives to join in the “fun.”

 

He had a joke for everyone and for every occasion. At the beginning of his last day, knowing it was the 4th of July, he told his family he was ready to “go out with a bang.” It is fitting that he shared this historic date of passing with two of his favorite founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

 

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Fen Lewis; son, Robert (Megann) and Kimberly Brown (Morgan) and four granddaughters.

 

In honor of his deep connection to Siesta Key, his ashes will be shared with the sea.

 

A private memorial service will also be held. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Salvation Army or the Tidewell Foundation, the charitable arm of the Tidewell Hospice.