Arthur F Lewis' Obituary
Arthur Fremont Lewis, age 102, went home peacefully to be with the Lord and his late, loving wife of 69 years, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Lewis, on the afternoon of April 19, 2024. In the days leading up to, and upon, his passing, he was surrounded by family and friends, who shared laughs and tears at his bedside in honor of his long, rich life.
Art was born on June 28, 1921, in Millville, New Jersey, to Virginia Middleton and Frank Lewis. After graduating from Bridgeton High School in 1939, he attended Camden County Community College, where he studied horticulture and floriculture.
In June of 1942, Art was drafted into the Army, where he served as a chaplain’s assistant and then as a clerk for the company’s captain in the 88th Infantry Division, 350th Regiment, also known as the Blue Devils. He married Betty while stationed in Muskogee, Oklahoma, on May 13, 1943. Betty was 22 and Art 21. In stories about his service in World War II, Art often vividly recalled his first days in North Africa’s Atlas Mountains, and, later, nearer the front lines in Italy.
After the war, Art and Betty settled into Betty’s family home in Fairton, where they had two sons, Frank and Jerry, and a daughter, Suzan. He worked as a florist at Westwood Florist and Hespelt’s in Bridgeton, then later moved to Protection Service Insurance Company, also in Bridgeton, where he remained for 30 years. Art’s passion was floriculture and gardening — he found great joy in devoting countless hours to creating wreaths and floral arrangements for his family, friends and church, especially on Easter and Christmas.
For 89 years, Art was a member of Fairfield Presbyterian Church PCA in Fairton. He served as the church’s Sunday School superintendent for 25 years, and was an elder for 48 years before becoming an elder emeritus.
He is survived by Frank and his wife Donna, of Fairton, Jerry and his wife Betty, of Hopewell Township, NJ, and Suzan, of Fairton. He is also survived by his nieces Marge Ball, of Hopewell Township, and Betty Jane Trewin, of Woodstown, NJ, along with five grandchildren: Megan Harsh, of Hagerstown, MD, Peter Lewis and his wife, Erica, of Cedarville, NJ, Renee Avis and her husband, David, of Raleigh, NC, Chad Lewis and his wife, Shawna, of Marmora, NJ, and Andrew Lewis and his wife Caitlin, of Marmora, along with six great grandchildren Ryann, Emerson, and Colton Lewis, Reagan and Kennedy Avis, and Olive Lewis — all of who know him not as Art, but their beloved PopPop.
He is predeceased by his grandson-in-law Donald “Boomer” Harsh, his wife Betty, his sister Betty Lewis Charleton, and his parents Virginia and Frank.
Memorial contributions may be made to Fairfield Presbyterian Church PCA, P.O. Box 68, Fairton, NJ 08320. A graveside service will be held at 11:30am, Tuesday, April 23, at the Old Stone Church, 198 Fairton Cedarville Road, Cedarville, NJ 08311.
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