Obituary of David T. Lewis

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of David Lewis who passed away in the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center of New York on July 24th, 2023. David was a kind and loyal soul who will be remembered fondly.
 

David was born in November of 1951 to Jack and Sylvia Lewis in Staten Island, New York. He was raised there, alongside his brother, John Richard Lewis, and eventually graduated from Port Richmond High School in 1970. After graduating, David began a job at AT&T and he worked in downtown Manhattan. This required David to take the Staten Island Ferry to work in the morning, which proved to be a fateful mode of transportation. One day, while taking the usual
trip across the bay, David caught the attention of a young lady named Bettie, and the two hit it off. Taking morning ferry trips turned into going on dates, and soon enough, the pair were in love. They were married on November 10th, 1973, and have since spent 50 years together. Bettie remarks that her secret to a happy marriage is a sense of humor and a willingness to compromise, but that’s not a hard thing to do when you get to spend your life with your soulmate.
 

David’s career took him to many places across New York and New Jersey, eventually bringing him to move his budding family to the White Meadow Lake area of New Jersey. It was there that David and Bettie raised their family. They brought two wonderful daughters into the world and raised them with all the love in the world. David loved his daughters endlessly and showed this by being as involved in their lives as he could; including coaching their softball leagues and
acting as a marching band parent. The Lewis family made many memories together. They would take many trips to Walt Disney World, Yankees games, and many other activities that they loved to share with each other. They even used their combined musical talents to play music for their church, St. Cecilia in Rockaway. David was an extremely talented guitar player and had his guitar in hand anytime he could. He played in different bands over the years, but his family
remarks a treasured memory of Christmastime; hearing his Christmas song serenades every year.

In later years, after his retirement, David indulged in his love for golf. His passion for golf led him to a post-retirement part-time job at Berkshire Valley Golf Course. He truly enjoyed spending time with friends, chief among them being the 195 Broadway Brotherhood, who were a group of friends that stuck together through thick and thin. David will be remembered as a devoted husband, loving father, and a faithful and loyal friend to all.

And though his passing brings us sorrow, we take comfort in knowing he is reunited in Heaven with those who passed before him; his parents, John “Jack” and Mary Sylvia Lewis, his brother, John Richard Lewis and his wife, Janet, and his nephew, Richie Lewis. We now look to the loved ones he leaves behind to carry on his memory. His survivors include his wife, Bettie Lewis, his daughters, Stephanie and Melanie Lewis, his in-laws, Kathie Meyers and her husband, Bill,
Jimmy Lamb, Thomas Lamb, his Godson, Jason Kehoe, his niece, Trisha Lewis, his dear friend, Karen Kufall, and a wealth of extended family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who will feel his loss so deeply.

If you would like to commemorate David in your own way, please consider making a memorial donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a foundation that David was passionate about, by way of inmemof.org to ensure receipt of your donation. Hours of public visitation for David will be held on Friday, July 28th, from 4 to 7 PM at Norman Dean Home for Services, 16 Righter Avenue, Denville. Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, July 29th, at 10:30 AM at St. Cecilia Church, 90 Church Street, Rockaway, NJ, 07866. All are welcome to come and celebrate David’s life. Please leave a condolence, light a candle, and share your favorite memory of David here to continue to celebrate his life.