Daniel Lynn Lewis

Daniel (Dan) Lewis, a cherished man known for his kind, loving, upbeat and positive

personality, passed away on February 8th, after a short battle with cancer. He passed away

peacefully at home, surrounded by love. Born on May 25th, 1952, Dan lived a life filled with

tremendous passion and service towards others. He had a smile that would light up any room

and the impact and influence he had on those he met, will leave an honorable legacy to his

name.

He is survived by his children Amy Lewis, Mandy (A.J.) Frint, and Casey Lewis; his

grandchildren, Abby and Drew; his loving partner Susan Smith and her daughter Natalie; his

three sisters, Karen Lewis, Linda (Mike) Swain, and Diane (Mark) Chamberlain; his niece Nikki

(Jason) Ault and their children Hayley and Ally; his nephew Mike (Mary) Swain and his children

Kaitlyn and Madison; his great grand-niece and nephew Mia and Noah; and many cousins on

his Mother’s side. Although his family was small, the “Lewis bond” was a fierce one that only

grew stronger over the years!

Dan is also survived by those friends he regarded as family: The Judson 5 (Rob, Holly and their

children Parker, Hunter, and Riley); Andy and Lisa Highberger; and Frank and Carol Furie. There

are many that remember him from their softball days, camping with him and chatting over

campfires, those friends he met later in life at the gym, and the Mary Kay Eagles that he was a

big supporter of.

Dan grew up in a loving home on the west side of Columbus and was the first born of John and

Ethel Lewis. Following him were his three younger sisters, and being the only boy in the family,

he was dubbed the “Golden Child” in the eyes of his Mother. Later in life, his sisters enjoyed

playing Christmas pranks on the “Golden Child” often involving his daughter Amy, and most

definitely involving lots of laughter. What he always shared he remembered most about his

parents, were his Mom’s compassion and his Dad’s work ethic. Two strong traits that he

himself had!

As a child and through his school years, Dan loved playing sports! He played football,

basketball and baseball. His passion and love for basketball lead him to be a lifelong coach of

the sport. He touched many lives in his years of coaching. He always thought of himself as a

tremendous motivator. Using the gymnasium as his classroom, he thought of himself as a

teacher and leader to many children. His focus was never on the wins or losses but always in

teaching team camaraderie and that relationships were formed by the respect that you gave

others.

A proud alumnus of Franklin Heights, Dan graduated in 1970. After high school, at the age of

21, Dan got a job as the Village Administrator for Plain City. He was recognized for being the

youngest city services director in the history of the United States. This was an unknown fun

fact about him he liked to throw out from time to time!

Dan went on to have a career in lightning protection, mostly working for Maxwell Lightning

Protection out of Dayton. An injury on the job would force him into an early retirement in which

he spent a lot of his time volunteering, mentoring, and guiding those through challenges with

drug and alcohol addiction.

At the age of 56, Dan went back to college at Capital University where he graduated with

honors in 2009, with a degree in Business Administration and Sports Management. At the age

of 62, he graduated from Ashland University with a Masters Degree in Sports Management. He

always said it was never too late to go back to school and he was a living example of that.

Dan had a lot of passions in life. Coaching being one of his biggest ones. Later in retirement he

also had a passion for and enjoyed traveling with Susan. Sedona was on of his favorites places

and Cabo San Lucas recently became a love of his as well.

Of all of his passions though, the one that he was most proud of, was being a grandparent.

Pap-Pap is what he wanted to be called once his first grandchild was born. There is nothing

that he was more proud of than the strong bond he formed with his grandchildren Abby and

Drew. Getting to be an important part of their lives, he would tell you, was one of his greatest

accomplishments. His grand babies loved him to the moon and back! The loss will be great for

them, but the memories that he made with them along the way will be something they can hold

onto in their hearts forever.

There’s a lot more to say about Dan, but in short, he was a humble, selfless, and a caring man.

He always strived to be better and to help others be better. He loved his family and friends with

his whole heart. He loved warm weather and the feeling of the sun on his face…earning him

the nicknames of “Lemon” and “Coach Tan Dan” along the way. He truly was a man of God,

and when he was called up to be with Him, he answered. We know he has bigger things to do

in Heaven and he will be truly, truly missed. But how lucky are all of us to have had him in our

lives!

There will be a celebration of his life in early June in Columbus, OH. Many know Dan was an

avid supporter of the Columbus Special Olympics. To honor his daughter Amy’s wishes, tribute

donations can be made to the Columbus Comets. Make checks payable to “Columbus

Schools Special Olympics" and mail to: Columbus Schools Special Olympics, 100 E. Arcadia

Ave, Columbus, OH 43202.