Martha Phillips Lewis

Reverend Martha Lewis, 62, died Wednesday Oct 26 at the Duke Hospice Facility in Durham after a five year battle with breast cancer.

She is survived by her husband of 23 years, Cecil O'Brien Lewis of New Bern; sister Mary Stevens of North Canton, Ohio; brother John Phillips of Red Lion, Pa.; sons Scott Kimbleton of Jacksonville, Fl; Nathan Kimbleton of Boyington Beach, Fl; Michael Lewis of New Bern; Thomas Lewis of New Bern; and granddaughters Brittany Lewis, Ariana Kimbleton, Madalene Kimbleton.

Visitation will be at Cotten Funeral Home in New Bern on Friday Oct 28 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Funeral Service will be Saturday Oct 29 at 11:00 am at Pollocksville Methodist Church in Pollocksville with Rev. Syd Stewart and Rev. Diane LeBlanc officiating.

Burial Service will be Saturday Oct 29 at 2:30 pm at Tuttle's Grove Methodist Church in Beaufort with Rev. Charles Smith and Rev. Diane LeBlanc officiating.

She was the pastor at Campbell's Creek United Methodist Church in Aurora until her medical condition forced her to give up that appointment.

While serving as pastor of Pollocksville Methodist Church, she started a program to provide weekend meals for needy children at Pollocksville Elementary School. Called "Blessings In A Backpack", each Friday children receive a backpack containing a weekend's worth of non-perishable food and an optional blessing from local church members. Local church members package the meals, fill the donated backpacks, and pass them out on Friday. On Monday the children return with an empty backpack and a full stomach, ready to learn. Now in it's third year, the program presently feeds 110 children at Pollocksville Elementary School.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to: Blessings In A Backpack P.O. BOX 1628 Louisville, KY 40201-1628. 1-800-872-4366. www.blessingsinabackpack.org Please designate your donation to go to: Pollocksville, NC Elementary School.