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302-478-7100 Wilmington & Hockessin, DE

Gordon Hamilton Lewis

 Gordon Hamilton Lewis, 97, died peacefully on December 13, 2020, at Stonegates retirement community in Greenville, Delaware. He was predeceased by his wife of 48 years, Elizabeth McClure Lewis, who passed away in 1996.

He is survived by three daughters, Julia Renken (Dennis) of Fairfax, VA; Nancy de Jong (Pier) of Greer, SC; and Peggy Houghtaling (Robert) of Kennett Square, PA; six grandchildren, Rebecca Floyd (Jason), Katherine Renken (Patrick Remson), Elizabeth Houghtaling, Robert Houghtaling, Andrew de Jong, and Sarah de Jong; and three great-grandchildren, Caroline Floyd, Audrey Floyd, and Matthew Remson. He was predeceased by his brothers, Evan Larson Lewis and Robert Griffith Lewis.

Gordon was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1923, the second son of Robert Ash and Freeda Larson Lewis. He was raised in Birmingham and attended The Georgia Institute of Technology from 1941-43 and 1946-49, obtaining the degrees of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering. At Georgia Tech, he was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, national engineering honor society; Omicron Delta Kappa, national leadership honor society; and served as an instructor in Mathematics for three years. He was awarded the Tau Beta Pi Cup for Outstanding Senior in Engineering.

During World War II, he served in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. He attended basic training and Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir and served overseas in the Philippines and Japan.

Upon his return to Atlanta in 1946, Gordon met Elizabeth “Lee” McClure of Atlanta, GA, who was secretary for the Dean of Students at Georgia Tech at the time. They married in August 1947.

Gordon enjoyed a rewarding 38-year career with the DuPont Company. He began his professional career in 1949 at Parkersburg, WV, and had subsequent assignments in Orange, TX; Wilmington, DE; Dordrecht, the Netherlands; Brevard, NC; and Rochester, NY, before returning to Wilmington in 1973. In 1978, he was appointed Director of Manufacturing of DuPont’s Photo Products Department, a position he held until he retired in 1987.

In 1989, he and his wife bought a home on Hilton Head Island, SC, where they spent five months each year playing golf and enjoying many activities there. He continued to spend the winter months in Hilton Head until 2017. Gordon lived a very active life for many years. He was an avid golfer, enjoyed traveling and socializing with family and friends, and he loved music. He was a devoted patriarch of his family and had a keen interest in family genealogy–on both his and his wife’s sides. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Wilmington Country Club, a Life member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a Leadership Circle member of Roll Call, Georgia’s Tech’s Fund for Excellence.

The family suggests contributions to the Gordon and Lee Lewis Leadership Development Fund – in memory of Gordon H. Lewis, or to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 W. 13 St., Wilmington, DE 19806. Checks to the former should be made payable to the Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc., 760 Spring Street NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308.

 

Funeral Services

A private graveside service will be held at Lower Brandywine Cemetery in Wilmington, DE, where he will be laid to rest alongside his wife.

 

 

Condolences

    Ted and Sharon Mazel lit a candle and writes,
    My heart goes out to my uncle Gordon’s family. He will be greatly missed.
    12/19/2020 09:51 pm

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