Rick Lewis

1947 - 2024

Rick Lewis
09/16/1947 - 11/23/2024
Richard Alan Lewis died peacefully at his home in San Francisco, after a protracted illness. He was 77 years old. Born in Massachusetts, Rick was raised in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Psychology. His early work was with child protective services in the Seattle area as an advocate for children. He sustained a significant spinal injury in his early twenties, and in recovery he became a devotee of yoga, traveling to train with the guru, B. K. S. Iyengar in Pune, India. He taught as a certified yoga instructor in Seattle and later in San Francisco, where he moved in 1984. There he took a position as a counselor and behavioral specialist at the Edgewood Center for Children and Families, where he worked for several years. He was later employed through UCSF as Assistant to the Director of Psychiatry at SFGH, a role he greatly valued and enjoyed.
It was shortly after his move to the Bay Area that Rick met his life-partner-to-be, psychiatrist Robert Scott, and the two happily made their union official in February, 2004, when Gavin Newsom first opened City Hall to gay marriage.
Having established a household in the Castro neighborhood, the couple have been grateful for the support of their many friends, neighbors, and extended family over the years. They have been especially thankful for the extraordinary gift of a daughter, whom they had with lesbian friends in 1994. In his family role as proud "Papa," Rick took parenthood seriously. He became a homemaker of many talents, an animated reader of bedtime stories, a knitter of sweaters and baby blankets, a talented and adventurous cook, and a builder and a renovator who could locate tools for every problem and use them with skill. As years went by in retirement, a part-time home in Palm Springs gave him additional outlets and special joy.
Outside the home Rick was always a ready volunteer for causes he believed in. He had been a devoted Shanti support volunteer through the AIDS crisis, and was a life-long generous contributor for human rights and other progressive efforts. He was known to be a steady and loyal friend, and someone to count on at a moment's notice, often with a wry comment and an infectious smile.
He was dearly loved, and will be greatly missed.
Rick is survived by his husband and life-partner of 40 years, Robert Scott MD of SF and his daughter Kell Fahrner-Scott MD, currently of Rochester, Minnesota.
In the springtime, his family will host a gathering in celebration of his life.