Christopher Burrell Lewis

Christopher Burrell Lewis died at Washington Hospital Center after suffering cardiac arrest without warning while he slept at his home in Mount Pleasant in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2024. He was with his beloved wife, Leann, and two cherished daughters, Margo and Camille. Chris was born in 1971 to Claudia (Burrell) and Steven Lewis. He is predeceased by his father.

Chris grew up in the progressive, creative community of Columbia, Maryland, where he formed many lifelong friendships. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Philosophy and received a master’s degree from American University in Media Entrepreneurship. He later led a graduate course at American in technology management and digital product development and design.

Chris built a career around the intersection of technology, design and business. He was an early proselytizer for web design and digital strategy, starting with his positions in 1995 at JazzTimes and Harp Magazines, both award-winning internationally distributed music and entertainment publications. He moved on to WAMU, a leading National Public Radio station, where he directed the vision, planning and administration of digital product initiatives. His reputation as a UX (User Experience) and digital-product leader with an extensive work history in news, health and entertainment, led him most recently to Marriott International, where he found challenging work and welcome camaraderie in his position as a Digital UX/Product Director. Teaching graduate courses in digital media or mentoring digital entrepreneurs as they conceived journalism startups at American, Georgetown University, and the City College of New York over the last decade was one of the fulfilling ways he shared his vast expertise. In his free time, Chris was always driven to create things that satisfied his distinct aesthetic sensibilities, be it through photography, collage, drawing, music, or undertaking the design and renovation of beloved family homes. 

His innate gifts — for listening and connecting — served Chris well throughout his career. These were the superpowers that he carried over to the rest of his life. He was treasured for his compassion, his curiosity, his intellect, and his humor.

Chris’s enduring legacy, however, will always be the way he loved and was loved by his family and friends. He had special, adoring relationships with Margo and Camille and a joyful, loving, ever-evolving partnership with his wife Leann. His devotion to his mother Claudia was unmatched. 

Family and friends depended on Chris as a protector, advisor, cheerleader, confidant, and instigator of experiences — and, of course, as a listener. He took tremendous pride in all of those roles. A vast network of people was touched by his remarkable spirit, and the enormous outpouring of support from friends and co-workers is gratefully acknowledged by the Lewis-Trowbridge family.

A memorial will be held on October 6, 2024, in Maryland. Please reach out to the family for details. Plans are in the works to also host a show of Chris's photography at Lost Origins Gallery in Mt. Pleasant, DC in October of 2025.

Please share your memories or sentiments here or directly with the family, who is especially interested in hearing stories about Chris in your life.

If anyone is so moved, donations in Chris’s name can be made to the following:

Nonprofit work Chris supported:
The 51st (local news site startup by former DCist staff) (https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/07/16/51st-local-news-dcist-wamu/, https://givebutter.com/The51st)
Equal Justice Initiative (https://eji.org/)
Amnesty International (https://www.amnestyusa.org/)
Bancroft Elementary School PTO (https://bancroftelementary.org/)
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (www.patc.net)

Cardiovascular research and outreach:
American Heart Association (https://www.heart.org/)
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (https://4hcm.org/) (We learned from genetic testing that Chris did not carry genes for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as was indicated by the coroner. This is a worthy cause: HCM is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people, but it is highly treatable when a person is aware that they have the disease. This association works to raise awareness and screening for young athletes.)

To lend direct support to Chris’s family, send a join request at: https://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/loving-care-lmc/home 

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