Raymond Joseph Lewis

He was preceded in death by his father Joseph, mother Bessie, sisters Eleanor Peterson and Emma Marie Brown.

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated high school at the age of 16 in Bedford, Ohio and immediately enlisted in the US Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). At age 18 he was called to active duty and at age 19, on VE Day (Victory in Europe) he was in Salzburg, Austria serving under General Mark Clark. He participated in the liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps in Germany and Austria.

Upon return to civilian life he enrolled in Fenn College (later Cleveland State University) and Case School of Applied Science (later Case-Western Reserve University). He was a Tau Beta Pi. He graduated with honors with a BS in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. He never attended college fll time, he attended college nights while working full time. He was a Registered Mechanical Engineer in the state of Ohio.

His career started at TRW and then moved to NASA at Lewis Lab in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served the Space Program for 20 years.

Upon his retirement from NASA he became a worldwide traveler, visiting all the continents, except Antarctica. He climbed the base camps of Mt. Everest, sailed the Nile and the Amazon, and reached the peaks of Mt. Machu Picchu in Peru and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Ray had a great sense of humor, a keen intelligence and great compassion for others. He supported and cared for his parents and sisters in their times of need.

He is survived by his brother Norman and sister-in-law Laurine, Niece Lauri Stieber (Michael), grand niece Amanda Stevens (Alexander), and great grandnieces Michal, Paige, and Alexandra, all of Deltona FL.

A memorial service will be held on October 29, 2015 at 10:00 am at Deltona Memorial Funeral Home, 1295 Saxon Blvd., Orange City FL. 32763. Visit www.deltonamemorialfuneralhome.com to leave condolences.