Captain Horace Worster “Lew” Lewis, of West Chatham, Massachusetts and formerly of Clearwater, Florida died peacefully of natural causes on June 8, 2021 at the age of 100. He was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, Peggy Lewis, who passed away on April 21, 2021.
Lew was born in Bangor, Maine, the son of Edgar H. Lewis and Dora I. Worster. He and his sister Margaret were raised on a small farm along the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor. Lew spent his childhood hunting and fishing in the woods of Maine. He attended the University of Maine in Orono and it was there that he learned to fly as part of the United States civilian pilot training program prior to World War II. This led to a long career with Trans World Airlines (TWA) that began in 1943 and lasted until his retirement in 1980. He loved flying and accumulated more than 26,000 hours in the cockpit, captaining the DC-3, Lockheed Constellation, Martin 202, Martin 404, Boeing 707, Boeing 720, and the Boeing 747 around the world. On one of these flights in 1946 he met and fell in love with his future wife Peggy who was an airline hostess for TWA. They married and started a family that led to five children, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. Contrary to his airline nickname of “Horrible Horace” and his salty vocabulary, Lew was a loving father, tough on the outside but very soft on the inside. He always returned from his overseas trips with gifts and treats for the family; French bread and escargot from Paris, pepper and curry from Bombay, an acoustic guitar from Spain, stereos from Hong Kong, and bicycles from France, just to name a few. He enthralled friends and family with stories of flight crew shenanigans while on his overseas trips.
Following his retirement, he and Peggy spent the next forty years traveling between winter residences in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and Clearwater, Florida and the seaside town of Chatham, Massachusetts. They skied Sunlight and Buttermilk Mountains in Colorado, golfed at the Clearwater Country Club, boated the waters of west Florida on their boat the “Tulu”, sailed and raced on Nantucket Sound as members of the Stage Harbor Yacht Club, and enjoyed the beach and tennis at the Chatham Beach and Tennis Club.
Lew was an avid sportsman well into his 90’s. He hunted deer and elk in the mountains of Colorado and the woods of New England. Fishing was also a passion. He fished Nantucket Sound for striped bass and bluefish and he especially loved the flats of Clearwater and Boca Grande, Florida where he fished for tarpon, snook, and redfish with family and good friends. He caught his first giant bluefin tuna on a day trip off of Cape Cod with his grandsons at age 90. As a longtime summer resident of Chatham, he loved to lobster and dig clams, which led to many delicious family meals including his famous linguini with white clam sauce. It would not be possible to count the number of clams he shucked during his lifetime. Gardening was also a passion, growing prized zucchini, squash, and tomatoes for friends and family along with flowers for Peggy.
In November of 2020 he and Peggy enjoyed his 100th birthday which was highlighted by a drive by parade led by the Chatham Fire and Police Departments (sirens on), followed closely by many friends offering their well wishes. We won’t soon forget the baseball cap he wore that said “100 never looked so good.”
Lew is survived by his daughter Linda Doane (Tommy Doane) of Chatham, Massachusetts, daughter Janet Lewis of Chatham, Massachusetts, son Thomas Lewis (Ailene Robinson) of Boston, Massachusetts and their children Tyler Lewis (Sarah) and Claire Lewis, as well as Tyler’s children Avery and James Lewis, daughter Patricia Lewis (Peter Sullivan) of Sandwich, Massachusetts and her children Marguerite Michael (Adam Michael), Hunter and Griffin Mello and Marguerite’s children Gemma and Marley Michael, and son Robert Lewis (Kathryn) of Tampa, Florida and their children Robert, George and Lawson Lewis.
Lew will be remembered for his quick wit and smile and his uncanny ability to make friends from all walks of life all around the world. Many thanks are extended to caregivers Andrea Layne and Liberty Benson of Visiting Angels of Cape Cod, Ellen Scott Garvey, Sally Tuck, and Jennifer Moulton, with special thanks to the entire BroadReach Hospice care team, especially nurse, Lucy Elmer, and to Lew’s personal physicians and nurses. The family requests that in lieu of flowers gifts honoring Lew’s life be made to Stage Harbor Sailing School Inc. of Chatham, Coastal Conservation Association Florida, Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, or the charity of your choice. For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com.
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