Alexander Lewis

1944 - 2021

Alexander Lewis III
November 25, 1944 - September 29, 2021
Dr. Alexander Lewis III, age 76, passed away at home in Lafayette, CA on September 29, 2021. Alex was born on November 25, 1944 in Long Beach, CA and grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. He attended Ursinus College then received a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at Hahnemann Medical School (now Drexel University - Hahnemann University Hospital). Dr. Lewis returned to California and completed a residency in dermatology at Stanford University, where he went on to serve as an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at Stanford School of Medicine for many years. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. He maintained a private dermatology practice in Walnut Creek, CA until his retirement in 2016.

On top of Mt. Tamalpais one rainy June day in 1976, he married Cecilia Wilson Lewis, with whom he spent the rest of his life.

Dr. Lewis was a healer, an adventurer, and an artist. He cared for countless patients over the years, and took pride in performing exquisite surgeries. He loved sailing the waters of the San Francisco Bay on his boat the Seal. Dr. Lewis traveled extensively, from boyhood through his final years. Visits to Rome and the island of Capri in the 1960s gave him a lifelong appreciation for la dolce vita and Italian culture. Nothing made him happier than planning the perfect trip. His travels included exploring classic destinations and off-the-beaten-path corners of Japan, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Russia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Turkey, and Armenia. Back in Northern California, he loved driving the beautiful backroads of the Bay Area in his Porsche. He especially enjoyed visits to Point Reyes, Tomales Bay, and other spots along the Pacific coast. Even closer to home, you could see him buzzing down the winding wooded roads of Lafayette on his mint green vintage Vespa scooter.

Dr. Lewis possessed a deep sense of curiosity and unwaning desire to learn, especially about the past. He felt a deep connection to his mother Alice's Armenian heritage, which he honored through research into her family's genocide survival story and involvement with Armenian causes. He shared his love of history with both his children, visiting countless archaeological sites, monuments and museums with them over the years.

Dr. Lewis was also a talented photographer, a cinephile (what a Fellini fan!), a car aficionado, an avid astronomer, and the author of a true crime novel set in the 1970s Bay Area. Above all else, Dr. Lewis was an immeasurably loving husband and father. He was predeceased by his parents Alexander Lewis Jr. and Alice Kabakjian Lewis. He is survived by his wife Cecilia Lewis, children Allison Lewis and Alexander (Sander) Lewis IV, granddaughter Clara Wertheimer, and brothers Dennis Lewis and Brady Lewis.

Funeral service and burial will take place at 11:00 AM on Thursday, October 7, 2021, at Oakmont Memorial Park & Mortuary in Lafayette, CA. The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Armenian Missionary Association of America (https://amaa.org/donate/).