Wardel I. Lewis, 69, our loving husband and father passed away Monday, January 8, 2018 after a long and fulfilling life. Del was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1948. His family moved to Atlantic Beach, Florida when he was in elementary school, just two blocks from the beach. As he grew up, he loved to play sandlot football and pickup games of basketball. In high school, he developed a love of running cross country. This ultimately led to a full scholarship to Lake City Jr. College where he was All American. He then earned a full scholarship to the University of South Florida in 1968, where he met his future wife, Debbie. When Del graduated from college, he joined the Marines for a two year stint. After the military, Debbie and Del were married in 1972 and moved to Orlando, Florida. After several jobs, Del was hired by FMC (Food Machinery Chemicals) where he worked his way up to Production Control Manager. Del and Debbie welcomed their first daughter in 1978 and two years later FMC transferred him to Jonesboro, Arkansas. With their second daughter on the way in 1981, Del was hired by Lockheed Martin and the family transferred back to Orlando, Florida. The family of four established their lives in Orlando where tennis became a large part of Del and Debbie's lives. Throughout the years, Debbie and Del built a stable and loving home, centered around their two daughters. Del played on many tennis teams, enjoyed reading, riding his bike and fostered many strong friendships. Family time was very important to Del and involved many fun vacations and quality time together. Del was proud when his daughters graduated from college, started careers, got married and gave him two amazing grandsons, the boys he never had. Del retired after 30 years with Lockheed as a Senior Planning Manager and was able to enjoy some leisure time and traveling with his wife and friends. Del was full of life, generous, loving, practical, organized, hardworking, and had a wonderful sense of humor. He had a positive impact on so many lives and will always be remembered. A celebration of Del's life will be held for friends and family at Baldwin-Fairchild Ivanhoe in Orlando, Florida at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society or the Cornerstone Hospice Foundation.
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