As word spread of his passing, there were numerous Facebook posts and he was remembered by both Middletown City Council candidates who were sworn in Tuesday night.
Zack Ferrell and Rodney Muterspaw said Lewis supported their campaigns and Lewis placed the most Muterspaw yard signs, he said during his speech Tuesday.
Muterspaw called the day “bittersweet” because Lewis should have been there celebrating with the others on his campaign team in City Council Chambers.
Ferrell said Lewis “loved Middletown” and “all he wanted to do was make this place better. He leaves quite a legacy.”
Lewis worked closely with Adriane Scherrer and Jim Wendel on organizing the Broad Street Bash. Through their almost daily phone conversations during Bash season, Scherrer understood his love of those closest to him.
“More than anything, my heart aches for his family,” she said.
One of his closest friends, Joe Daly, was vacationing in Ireland when a buddy called with the numbing news.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Daly said Wednesday waiting for a flight back to Cincinnati. “I was in disbelief. It hit me hard.”
Daly, Lewis and two other buddies annually traveled to Lake Erie for several days of walleye fishing. The other guys wanted to leave on Wednesday. Lewis couldn’t. That was always the night of the Bash.
“He was a volunteers volunteer,” Daly said. “He never asked for anything.”
Lewis, like his father, Joe Lewis, was in the real estate business. Lewis was a district sales manager for HER Realty.
Rachel Lewitt, owner and broker at Finkelman Real Estate, said Lewis worked in the real estate business for 43 years, was president of the Middletown Board of Realtors and was named Realtor of the Year.
“He gave without hesitation and with a full heart,” she said. “He was a pillar of our community. This is a tremendous loss for the community and a sad day for Middletown.”
Among his survivors are his three children: Timmy, Joey and Megan.
No arrangements have been announced.
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