I'd like to again express my condolences to Piotr's family. I'm sharing comments posted to Facebook in April, 2021....

Christopher Reader:  "That’s really sad to hear."

Peter E. DeBoer:  "Very sorry to hear. A great ally for cyclists."

John Morrison:  "Wow, that’s really sad to learn. I really liked him; great guy."

Amy Duggan: "Really sad to see this news."

Jessica Ambrose Crawford:  "💗💗💗"

Justine Burdette:  "Noooo! What the heck! Such a great man. His vision and leadership with be missed."

Meika Wildeboer Weiss:  "I met him just briefly when he was working on Zeeland’s bike plan as a consultant and was so impressed. What a loss."

Jen Byle-Bartzen:  "This is sad, such a loss. He gave a presentation to ASCE in late 2019/early 2020 (pre-covid) about Poland’s highway infrastructure, and tied that in to his backstory about how he ended up in the U.S., which was fascinating."

Jay Fowler:  "I worked with Piotr on many projects at the City. He brought creativity and professionalism to each project. Piotr was the first engineer in the area to develop an expertise in roundabouts. We also taught bike safety together. Truly a shame that he is gone so soon."

Jon Miner:  "Piotr was a nice man."

Scott Steiner:  "Sorry to hear."

Joshua Duggan:  "I was sad to see this. I wanted to attend the service, but long ago committed to drive the leadout vehicle at the Lowell 50.... Will send my condolences to the family and thank you for sharing."

Daria Gosztyla:  "Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed any days I got to interact with Piotr. Will be thinking of him and his family."

Landon Bartley:  "Ohhhh Piotr was such a lovely man. What sad news."

Also expressing concern:  Eric Pratt, Dennis Murphy, Alison Gase, David de Velder, Michael Mast, Iantha María Fyolek, Josh DeBruyn, State Rep. Jim Haadsma, Don Feikema, Henry R. Post, James van Dokkumburg, City Commissioner Milinda Ysasi, Jim Rathbun, Steve Sheppard, Kristin Bennett, Michael Tuffelmire, Jo Dull, Albi Brunzell.

I had the privilege of working with Piotr at Moore+Bruggink.  While our projects at work rarely crossed paths he was a pleasure to interact with at the office.  He was someone who approached everyone with a positive attitude and curiosity. I will remember him for his love of Polish beer and calm confidence. He will be missed. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to his community, friends, and family for the loss.

Piotr will be deeply missed. I am so sorry that he has passed on, and extend my deepest condolences to his family. I worked with him when I was with the Grand Rapids Planning Dept., and it would always brighten our day when he would stop by our corner of the building to say hi. He would often share photos of projects and places he was excited about, from a roundabout in or near Grand Rapids to a bike lane in Barcelona, and always left us more interested in even the most mundane engineering details. His gentle and wry sense of humor always made us smile, and memories of him do the same. 

My Deepest Sympathy to Family  Lewak

May the Lord grant you strength and peace
 during this difficult Time  

Stanley Jozwik

I am so sorry for your loss. While serving as director of the Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition I worked closely with Piotr for four years after he was assigned to the City's Traffic Safety Department to implement the City's new vision for a large network of on-street bike lanes. Piotr was determined to accomplish their aggressive goal of installing cycling facilities on 100 miles of streets. Through his engineering talent and persistence he was able to implement bike lanes along about 80 miles of streets, in about five years. Accomplishing that kind of municipal project, at that scale, and within that time period, might have been unprecedented in the U.S., and it made Grand Rapids one of the top cities in the Midwest for miles of bike lanes. In 2016 Piotr was assigned to staff the City's Driving Change cycling safety public education program, which was a intended to be a national model. In 2018 this far-reaching and successful campaign received the prestigious Outstanding Traffic Safety Achievement Award from the Michigan governor's Traffic Safety Advisory Commission. Piotr enjoyed cycling himself and even became certified as a League Cycling Instructor by the League of American Bicyclists. He then led a number of League-sanctioned Smart Cycling Classes for community members that were funded by the Driving Change program. Piotr was kind, intelligent, and a good listener, and he knew how to pick his battles. He brought a good sense of sarcastic wit to situations that didn't work out as planned, and overall he was just a lot of fun to work with. It's hard to imagine not seeing him around anymore.    --Tom Tilma

I had the honor of working on a project with Piotr this past fall.  His humor and dedication to his work was evident from the first day.  We had a lot of fun thinking of how the project was like a book.  So many riveting chapters to keep the reader engaged (about sewers of all things).  Deepest condolences to Piotr's family, friends and co-workers.  He will be sorely missed.  ~Stephanie Kozal @ Ryan's

I will always cherish our Pulaski weekend family fun times together with you and your father. 
Great memories ❤️

Piotr Lewak Family,


My wife Tanya and I wish to express our heartfelt condolences to your family, on Piotr’s passing. Piotr and Tanya were coworkers in the City of Grand Rapid’s Engineering Department. As both Piotr and Tanya were emigrants, they shared a special bond of camaraderie, having similar life experiences. Their friendship was naturally enhanced by similar cultures, customs, and foods and of course, the humor of their neighboring countries. Tanya is of Russian descent and grew up next to Poland. 

But even without these similarities, it wouldn’t have been difficult to develop a strong friendship with Piotr…I certainly did. He was such an easy-going, likable guy. Always good-natured, generous, and kind to everyone he dealt with…friend or stranger. We remember Piotr as a good outdoorsman. He participated in many outdoor sports; fishing, kayaking, etc. Many of which we shared with him, both at our home and our stays with him at Nasha Hatta, on the Betsy River in northern Michigan. He was always a gracious host and we share many great memories together. Most of which, were accented with a lot of good-natured humor. Piotr was such a kind, lovable man. We are very honored, to call him our friend, and will deeply miss him.

We pray that God comfort and strengthen you during this time, and ask if there is any way can assist the family, please don’t hesitate to contact us.


Robert & Tatyana Ford



Piotr was a great man and friend. I played tennis with him for years. He was one of the good ones and will miss him greatly.   

Upon retiring from the City of Grand Rapids, Piotr joined our team and M+B.  His engineering expertise and attention to detail helped deliver many successful infrastructure projects, but it was his pleasant demeanor, wit and updates on European soccer that will be missed.  We are glad for the time we were able to spend with Piotr and he will be remembered in many positive ways.

Our hearts are saddened as we process the passing of one of our very first neighbors on Woodlily Street.  There are so many fond memories of Piotr over the years, like the time Piotr built and hand dug your backyard pool with all neighborhood hands on deck to hold the liner on fill in day, taste testing his home brew, Piotr and Jenny singing with the Accordion Man at Shane's First Communion party, his leadership when approaching the City of Wyoming to prevent a potentially unsafe transportation route through our street and his comradery & friendship with Mike.  Words truly fail to express our sorrow for your loss.  It was a pleasure to have gotten to know Piotr.  He will be missed dearly.  May time help you heal and bring you peace.  ~ With Caring Thoughts, The Anstett Family

I am heartbroken to hear of Piotr's passing.  He was part of our tennis community @ Ramblewood/Premier for over 20 years and a beloved friend.  I will truly miss playing tennis, drinking vodka, and sharing stories with Piotr.  Prayers to his friends and family.

Adam ~  I am so saddened to hear of your dad's passing.  My brothers, Chip & Mike as well as myself  enjoyed chatting with him at Frankie V's as well as his help at the Polish Festival.  We will be keeping you in our prayers.
~ Teresa Bonham

I’m so sorry and saddened to hear of Piotr’s passing. We’ve been tennis buddies for many years. I met Piotr when I started playing at Ramblewood and we played singles often at Calvin Christian.  Always friendly and fun, that’s how I will fondly remember him. My condolences to his family and all his friends.

OBITUARY

Piotr T. Lewak

3 December, 1959 – 28 March, 2021

Cook Funeral Home & Cremation Services – Grandville Chapel

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