David A. Lewis

1921 - 2018

This is a quick shout out to Tim Rhone, Bill Sumner, Bill Leach, Coach Blair and the half-dozen or so other people who might remember our dad, David A. Lewis. For many decades, the Lewis Family dad David, mom Bernice, sons Tracy and Brad Alan, daughter Valerie lived at 505 Begonia Avenue in Corona del Mar.Dad was born in Queen of Angels Hospital on November 12, 1921. His mother, originally from Guildford, England, was an odd duck. His father, a somewhat odder duck. Thus it's no surprise that our dad, throughout his lifetime, would rate pretty high on the O.D. scale.Marshall High graduate. A stint aboard the USS Fanshaw Bay, CVE70, an aircraft carrier that saw serious excitement during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. While on shore leave, he met his future wife, Bernice, at Yosemite National Park, where she was working as a ranger. After the war, after they married, he did good work for Transamerica Insurance for over 30 years.As could be said of every sentient human being that has lived beyond the age of seventeen, his life had many ups and downs. His greatest up' was the purchase in 1964 of our house at 505 Begonia. (The last of the double lots,' Dad liked to say.) Coming from La Crescenta, where in those days the smog burned our lungs like battery acid, it changed everything for the better. With our Kite sailboat, beach chairs, Hodgeman rafts and Duck Feet swim fins, we all embraced beach life. In the fall of 1974, chunky and out of shape, Dad took up running. For the next 25 years he trained with the dedication and seriousness of an Olympic athlete. Running 220 intervals on the track at UCI, shoulder-to-shoulder with Steve Scott, was one of his fondest memories. It was within the burgeoning masters running community that thrived in Corona del Mar in the late 70s and 80s that dad truly found his place. Through the years the Corona del Mar Scenic 5K was always a highlight and a slam dunk medal since he knew the race course like the back of his hand and was in damn good shape. To celebrate his 60th birthday, he competed in the Master's Nationals in his specialty: the half-mile. He ran a 2:28.5 for the half, a PR. As a child of the Depression, Dad had a true passion for all things penurious. Suffice to say, neither a plumber nor an electrician ever crossed the threshold of 505 Begonia. And should our Magnavox television start to flicker uncontrollably, dad would make the trip to Christensen's Drug Store to test the dozen or so tubes that might be causing the problem. Often as not, against all odds, he fixed it. That said, as would be his wont, we'll stop here rather than incur greater costs for placing this missive in the Daily Pilot. Besides, after Mom died well, you can imagine the rest. David A. Lewis died on June 28, 2018. Four months shy of his 97th birthday.