Lewis Lamar Hutton Jr.

Lewis Lamar Hutton, Jr., of Atlantic Beach, FL, passed away 2 days before his 94th birthday on January 28, 2017. Lew was the only child born to Mabel Gotshall Hutton and Lewis Lamar Hutton in Darby Pennsylvania on January 30, 1923. He attended primary and secondary schools in Upper Darby before attending Pennsylvania Military College (PMC) in Chester, Pennsylvania where he majored in Civil Engineering.

Lew was in his Junior year at PMC when Pearl Harbor was attacked in December 1941. In January 1942, PMC announced an accelerated academic program which would allow juniors to graduate in 3 years. Developments in the war changed rapidly, however, and in early 1943 the junior and senior classes were called to active duty. On May 28, 1943, Lew received his WAR DIPLOMA from PMC conferring his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He immediately went on to Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning Georgia and in 1944 was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Lew was then stationed at Camp Blanding, Florida, where he served as a Platoon Leader in the Infantry Training Center from 1944 until 1946. During the war, then 2nd Lt Hutton trained men in infantry tactical subjects, preparing trainees for overseas service. After the war in June 1947, Lew received an Honorary Degree of Bachelors in Military Science from PMC.

Following his active service in the Infantry, Lew entered the Army Reserves in the Civil Affairs Division. Col Lew loved all things military and made his life-long friends during all those years in the 446th Civil Affairs Company in Chester, Pennsylvania. In the early sixties, the 446th was disbanded and Lew then joined the 358th Civil Affairs Division in Norristown PA, rising in rank to Lt. Colonel. Lew retired from the Army Reserves in 1972.

Lew spent his civilian career in the construction and building supplies industry where his degree in civil engineering served him well. He retired from his last job as a Sales Engineer in 1995 at the age of 72.

Before Lew left for OCS at Camp Benning, he met and fell in love with a beautiful redhead, Charlotte Eleanor Finn. On January 25, 1947 Charlotte and Lew were married in the Rectory of St Cyril’s Church in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. Lew and Charlotte lived in Drexel Hill from 1948 until 1982, when they moved a short way away to Havertown, Pennsylvania. They lived in Pennsylvania until 1995 when they moved to Stuart, Florida.

Charlotte, his wife of 50 years, predeceased Lew in October, 1997. After a brief marriage to Gail Hunt Hutton, who died unexpectedly shortly after their wedding in 2000, Lew moved to Fleet Landing, a retirement community (CCRC) originally developed for Military Officers, in Atlantic Beach, Florida. Shortly after Lew moved to Fleet, his cousin, Marion Daniels, also moved from Pennsylvania to Florida where the cousins made many friends.

Lew spent the last 16+ years of his life at Fleet Landing, spending the first 9 years in his own apartment, until frequent falls necessitated a move to Fleet’s Assisted Living Facility. Lew suffered a serious fall in 2015 that left him permanently disabled & he spent the last 1 ½ years of his life in the Fleet Landing Nursing Center.

Along with his love of all things military, Lew also loved his drums and cars. His love of Big Bands, especially Gene Krupa, was only surpassed by his love of cars. An avid collector and builder of model cars starting with his 1927 Stutz Black Hawk, Lew acquired dozens of automobile replicas spanning 7 decades. The last model car he was working on was a 1970 Ford Torino GT.

Lew is survived by 4 children: Carol A Hutton of Boca Raton Fla; Barbara (Dennis) Quigley of Manchester CT; Lewis L. Hutton III of South Pasadena, FL; and Mark (Maureen) Hutton of Laguna Niguel, Calif; 7 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren; and his cousin, Marion Daniels of Atlantic Beach Fl.

The family appreciates all Col Lew’s caregivers, staff and friends at Fleet Landing who supported him so much during these past 18 months.

There will be a private service at a later date.

Contributions in Col Lew’s memory can be made to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida: https://support.communityhospice.com/donate or to the Pennsylvania Military College Museum @ Widener University: https://give.widener.edu/pmc

Arrangements are under the direction of Hardage_Giddens Beaches Chapel, Jacksonville, Florida.

Please offer condolences at www.hardage-giddensbeacheschapel.com