Lewis Silverstein

Lewis was loved dearly because he loved dearly. He showed this through his thoughtfulness, his gentlemanly manner, his generosity with his time, his ability to laugh and make others laugh, and his limitless capacity for welcoming people into his family and group of friends.

Lewis treasured friendship. Some of his closest lifelong friendships began around age 13 in New York City. As they grew older, the group called themselves the Scimitars, complete with their own jackets and a rented clubhouse where they played cards, shared drinks, laughed, and spent time together on the streets of the city.

Those lifelong friendships were a reflection of what Lewis valued most: loyalty, laughter, and the people he loved.

A brilliant overachiever from an early age, Lewis attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City, where he graduated a year early before continuing his education at Pratt Institute.

By trade, Lewis was an accomplished architect whose creativity and talent would leave a lasting mark. Fresh out of college, while working for renowned lighting designer Richard Kelly, one of Lewis’s first projects involved designing a lighting scheme for Lincoln Center.

Lewis went on to work for prominent architectural firms in both New York and New Jersey. Over the course of his career, his clients and projects included the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Foster Wheeler, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Collier Services, and many others.

He also designed and renovated numerous single-family homes throughout New Jersey. Inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Lewis had an appreciation for architecture that brought style and functionality together. Like artwork that continues to hang in a museum long after its creator is gone, the buildings and homes Lewis helped create stand as lasting expressions of his vision and talent.

His creative work also extended beyond architecture. Lewis’s contribution as illustrator of The Design of the Small Public Library is preserved in the collection of the Library of Congress, another enduring piece of a remarkably creative life.

But for all that Lewis accomplished professionally, the most important part of his life was the people he loved.

Lewis was predeceased by his parents, Marty and Mona Silverstein; his cherished younger sister, Janet; and his adored wife, Serena, for whom his love knew no bounds.

He is survived by his son, Eric, his wife Jenifer, and granddaughter Lia, as well as his step-grandsons Anthony and Nick; his daughter, Nina, her partner John, and his granddaughters Fiona and Claire Potter; his brother-in-law Steven Gelber; his nephews Darren Gelber and his wife Melissa, and their children, and Russell Gelber and his wife Jennifer, and their sons; his niece and nephew Justine and Matthew Riegel and their daughters; his cousin Freyda Staten; and the many extended family members and friends whose lives were made richer by knowing him.

Lewis leaves behind more than the buildings he helped create or the work that bears his name. He leaves behind a family he loved deeply, friendships built over a lifetime, countless memories and laughter, and a legacy of creativity, generosity, kindness, and love.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Collier Youth Services.org

A Celebration of Life will be held at Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, 2130 Highway 35, Ocean, NJ 07712, US, on September 10, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.