Richard “Dick” Thomas Lewis

Richard “Dick” Thomas Lewis, Sr., resident of Kent for 52 years, died on Monday, December 9, 2019. He was 86. Born in 1933 in Newark Valley, New York, to Rev. Daniel Glyndwr and Laura Amos Lewis, he was the younger brother of Anne and Dan. He attended Hobart College before serving as a Marine, later earning his B.A. in history from Union College. He married his childhood sweetheart, Janet, in 1955. They began their family life together in Lewis County, New York, where he taught high school history. After graduate study in geography at Syracuse University, earning his M.A. and Ph.D., he moved his family to Ohio where he would be a professor at Kent State University from 1967 to 1995, specializing in urban and economic geography.

Dick was a member of the Kent Presbyterian Church since 1968, where he served as a deacon, an elder, a Sunday school teacher, and a choir member. He was an enthusiastic life-long learner, a lover of classical music, a crafter of clever limericks for family and friends, and a devotee of crossword puzzles, especially cryptic crosswords. Dick contributed much to the community, serving Meals on Wheels, working at the Clothing Center, being involved with Coalition for Sanctuary, and hosting AFS and other international students in his home. He was kind, intelligent, loving, and a wonderful husband and father.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Janet Miller Lewis; their four children, Amy (Tom) Fuller, Richard (Jennifer) Lewis, Laura (Mike) De Brular, and David (Carol) Lewis; their 12 grandchildren, Sarah, Thomas, William, Abigail, Lydia, Priscilla, Hannah, Geneva, Jim, Sam, Kelly (Scott) and Erin (Eric); and 8 great grandchildren.

His memorial service will be celebrated on December 21 at 11 a.m. in the Kent Presbyterian Church, 1456 E. Summit St., Kent. In lieu of flowers, contributions to charities would be appreciated. Services in care of Bissler & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, 628 West Main Street, Kent, OH 44240.