Thomas Bayard Lewis' Obituary
Thomas B. (Red) Lewis
Tom Lewis, age 86 , who was Mayor and a Commissioner of the Town of Henlopen Acres from 1989 to 20000, passed away Jan. 4, 2010. Under his administration a New Town Hall and Maintenance buildings, were erected, while he also reorganized the governing body of the town. The Town's roads were also completely repaved. Later in his administration he did a land swap with the National Park Service, for land that was sold off as a building lot. The funds were used to rebuild the Town Marina. In 2000, the town commissioners voted to name the Marina The Thomas B. Lewis Marina, as a tribute to his years of effort on behalf of the town.
Born July 30, 1923, the son of the late William T. and Mary A. Lewis of Wilmington. Tom graduated from Wilmington High School in 1942, where he played varsity basketball and baseball. Voted the best dancer in his class his senior year, won many dance contest in the area including the Mid Atlantic Jitterbug Championship. He was selected for the Wilmington High School Wall of Fame in its first year.
He served in World War II as a paratrooper with the 187th Combat Team of the 11thAirborne Division, the only airborne unit to serve in the South Pacific during World War II. He was awarded The Presidential Unit citationl three battle stars, along with the Bronze Medal of Valor. Wounded in Luzon, PI, he spent months in hospitals in the South Pacific and
the United States and was discharged from the Camp Upton Convalescent Hospital, on Long Island, N.Y., in 1945.
After military service he moved to Brandywine Hundred, and became active in community airs becoming president of the Pembrey Civic Association, while serving on the board of the Brandywine Council of Civic Associations. He was also active in politics and served as Vice Chairman of the Brandywine Hundred Democratic Committee, for several years. He also served on the County and State Democratic Committees
He was active in the Naamans Little League as an officer and manager from its beginning. He was equipment manager for the organization for over 15 years. He managed one of the few Little League teams to go undefeated for their entire season. He also managed two All Star teams to the state finals
He served 2 terms as commander of Laurence Roberts Post in Wilmington and the Richard C. duPont of the American Legion in Claymont. He served two terms as Commander of The Delaware Veterans of World War II. He also served as the first Commander of the District of Wilmington, American Legion. He was the first Delawarean selected to attend the American Legion College in
Minneapolis, Ind. He spent 43 years in the newspaper business. He started as an apprentice printer at the News journal while waiting to go into the service during World War II. After returning home he served several newspapers in the country as a sports correspondent and was aweekly contributor to the Sporting News, the national baseball publication. He covered the old Wilmington Rocks for the Sunday Star in the 40s, and wrote a weekly column, "Around the town in Sports". He was on the founding committees of the Wilmington Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association, and the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame, serving as both an officer and board member of both organizations. He retired in 1985, moving to Henlopen Acres, near Rehoboth Beach, in Sussex County.
He was a member of the Rehoboth Beach Country Club, duPont Country Club, The Lincoln Club of Delaware, was a member of the Disable American Veterans, the Delaware Veterans of World War II, and a member of the 11th Airborne Association. He was also a director on the Delaware State Golf Association's Scholarship Committee, and a life member of the Communication Workers of America.
He spent his retirement years playing golf, bridge, shooting pool, and socializing with plenty of beach time. He enjoyed growing and tending to flowers in the summer. He also stayed active in Henlopen Acres activities. He loved the times he could spend time with his children and grandchildren.
He is survived by Doris Albom Lewis his wife of 65 years; daughter, Valerie, and son-in-law, Dr. Keith Oken, of Ponte Veda Beach, Fla; son, Thomas B. Lewis ,Jr ., and daughter-in- law, Muffy Watson of New Canaan, Conn., and six grandchildren Zachary, Riley, Hayes, Brandon and his wife Davidson of Florida; and Whitney, Sam and Elizabeth of Connecticut.
Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday Jan. 8, 2010 at 11:00 AM at St. Edmonds Roman Catholic Church, King Charles and Laurel Streets, Rehoboth Beach, DE. Burial will be private in Epworth Cemetery, Rehoboth Beach, DE. In lieu of flowers contributions are suggested to the Delaware Veterans post # 1, 2535 Veterans Drive Wilmington, DE 19810.
Sign the guest book at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com
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