Lew Horton

Outdoorsman, businessman, devoted husband and father, Lew Horton left this world on June 2, 2025, at the age of 81.

When Lew was a junior at Boston College, his father died at age 52. Overnight, the young business major's life was changed, and he found himself responsible for supporting his mother and teenage sister. He hadn't planned to go into his father's firearms business, but he knew it was the right thing to do for his family. Running the business during the day, pursuing his college degree at night, Lew began to see opportunities for expanding his father's retail store into a nationwide distributorship.

It wasn't a love of firearms that fueled Lew's ambition, rather it was a love of business, which led to the founding of the Lew Horton Distributing Company. Carrying all the best lines and expanding into new territories, Lew thrived on innovative ideas, taking big risks, and exceeding customer expectations. What began as a small company grew into one of the top distributors in the country and the Horton name became synonymous with excellence in hunting and fishing gear.

When Lew wasn't working, he pursued his loves of duck hunting, skeet shooting, fishing off the tip of Monomoy on his beloved sport fisherman "Competitor," and fly fishing on the flats of Chatham in his flats boat. At age 40 he discovered a new passion: Stock car racing. Starting at Westboro Speedway, he quickly escalated to NASCAR, racing at Daytona, Martinsville, Charlotte-all the major tracks on the Eastern Seaboard. He retired from racing at age 50 and turned his attention to a new love: Golf. He was a member of Cape Cod National in Brewster, and John's Island Club in Vero Beach, Florida.

Lew never did anything in a small way. When something interested him, he passionately pursued it. Whether it was developing antique buildings in Framingham and Boston, growing his business, or fishing the rips of Nantucket Sound at 5am.

Lew is survived by his college sweetheart of 62 years, Faith Anderson Horton; his son Michael Horton; his daughter Gwendolyn Horton (David Parker); his sister Jan Hamilton (Harry); and his sister-in-law Hope Anderson. He was predeceased by his son Sean Horton.

Donations can be made in Lew's honor to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Tunnel to Towers Foundation. As per Lew's wishes, there will not be a service.