Lewis duPont Smith

SMITH Lewis duPont Smith, 54, a teacher, political organizer and philanthropist who sat on the boards of Vox Ama Deus and the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, and was an active alumnus of Avon Old Farms, died on Friday, August 12th after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Beloved husband of Andrea Smith, loving father to Martha Anne duPont Smith, Claire Frances Livingston Smith and Sarah Bradford Smith. Lewis is also survived by his father, E. Newbold Smith, his father-in-law Vincent Diano, his sister, Eleuthera Grassi (Temple), his brothers Stockton Smith (Priscilla) and Henry Smith (June), his sister-in-law, Valerie Lynch (Brian), and 14 nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his mother Margaret duPont Smith and his mother-in-law Martha Diano. bituary for Lewis duPont Smith “As a board member, Lewis served with a spirited presence and unwavering support,” said Valentin Radu, Artistic Director and Conductor of Vox Ama Deus. “His glowing praises challenged, uplifted and humbled me.” A true renaissance man, Lewis was a passionate student of history, art, music, literature and philosophy. At their home in Chestnut Hill, Lewis and his wife Andrea regularly hosted salons where friends were invited to hear classical music and opera, discuss political philosophy, and share good food. Lewis often joined his wife in performing operatic excerpts from Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He often entertained his guests with his recitations of Shakespeare and Friedrich Schiller, the German poet. Lewis was a founding member of the Philadelphia Forum for Anthroposophy, an organization dedicated to the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. As a young man growing up in Paoli, Lewis attended the Haverford School, and later the Rectory School and Avon Old Farms where he distinguished himself as a two time Connecticut state champion, two time New England state champion and a national prep heavy weight wrestling champion in 1975. Big Lew, as he was known at Avon, went on to earn a full football scholarship to the University of Michigan where he graduated in 1979. Lewis also attended Camp Tecumseh in Moultonboro, New Hampshire. Throughout his life, Lewis fondly recalled stories of his days at Avon and Tecumseh, regaling friends and family with tales of athleticism and adventure. After college, Lewis taught English and history at the Hill School in Pottstown and Friends Central in Wynnewood. In the early 80s, he became actively involved in political organizing. His work led to his association with Lyndon LaRouche, Jr. After meeting his future wife in Philadelphia in 1985, Lewis and Andrea married in Rome and later moved to New Hampshire where Lewis ran for Congress. Although he lost the election, he was not deterred and ran again in 1990 as a candidate from Pennsylvania. After a second unsuccessful attempt, Lewis chose not to run again. In recent years, Lewis was lecturing on the life of Friedrich Schiller and was scheduled to teach a philosophy course at Eastern University in the fall. A consummate competitor, Lewis trained daily as a cyclist, riding his bike up to 50 miles a day. His dream was to shadow the Tour de France. Most recently, he said that being sick had one advantage. At 6 ft 4 in he finally attained his competitive weight of 210 pounds. A devoted father, Lewis was fiercely proud of his three daughters, Martha, Claire and Sarah. He often took them on long hikes along the mountain trails of Mt. Desert Island, Maine where his family has a summer home in Northeast Harbor. He encouraged his daughters’ love of music and art, having recently taken them to Europe to experience the beauty and ancient culture of Rome. His conversion to Catholicism was a deeply transformative experience which compelled him to actively take part in his children’s religious instruction and Catholic traditions. In addition to his wife and daughters, Lewis is also survived by his father, E. Newbold Smith, sister Eleuthera Grassi (Temple), brothers Stockton (Priscilla) and Henry (June), sister-in-law Valerie Lynch (Brian), father-in-law Vincent Diano (Doris), and 14 nieces and nephews. Lewis is predeceased by his mother, Margaret duPont Smith and his mother-in-law, Martha Diano. Relatives and friends are invited to his Visitation Wed. 9-10:15 A.M. at St. Katharine of Siena Church, Lancaster and Aberdeen Aves, Wayne PA 19087 (route 30). Funeral Mass 10:30 A.M. Interment Private. In lieu of flowers contributions in his memory to Vox Amadeus P.O. Box 203 Gladwyne, PA 19035, would be appreciated.