Dr. Evelyn Rosalie Lewis

Evelyn Lewis, born to Annie and Sam Podeshwa on September 16, 1921, passed away peacefully in Wenatchee, WA on Wednesday February 7, 2018 from natural causes. Born in London, England, Evelyn attended St. Paul’s Girls School and from there went on to study at the University of Leeds in Northern England during WWII, where she studied medicine and played on the University women’s lacrosse team. After qualifying in medicine she married Charles Lewis, also a physician from Leeds, and they eventually settled in Oxford, England. In 1965, Evelyn, Charles and their four children emigrated to the US first living in Buffalo, New York and then later moving to Rochester, New York where they built a rewarding and active life for themselves for just over 30 years. Once in the US, Evelyn who had worked part time in family practice in England, went back to medical school in Buffalo and completed a residency in pathology. An area of medicine that had long since fascinated her. After moving to Rochester, she worked in the Pathology Department at the Genesee Hospital for a number of years and at the age of 55 took her Forensic Pathology Boards and spent the remainder of professional life working as a Medical Examiner for Monroe County. When she wasn’t working she rode horses, skied, swam, bicycled, played a ferocious game of tennis, gardened and raised children. She and Charles were avid Scuba divers and incorporated this into many of their travels around the world. When she and Charles retired from medicine they both became active in the local theatre life in Rochester, New York, and worked tirelessly to keep a small theatre in Naples, New York, The Bristol Valley Playhouse, open and vibrant in its early days. They were energetic both physically and intellectually and frequently housed actors and students in their homes once their own children were grown. After Charles passed away, Evelyn by then in her 80’s left her East Coast home and drove with a great niece and her dog to Wenatchee where she lived out the remainder of her life nearer to her children, all of whom had settled in or near the Rockies and the Cascades. Evelyn/mom/grandma was a very kind, generous, positive, forgiving human being and touched so many lives both young and old and in between, the memories she has helped us all create will forever be part of who we are. Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents Annie and Samuel Podeshwa, her husband Charles Lewis, their son Johnathan Lewis, and daughter Joanna Lewis. She is survived by her children Alexandra Lewis-Lorentz (husband Casimir Lorentz), Nicolas Lewis, Ericka Lewis (husband Alfred Hogenauer) and her son-in-law Michael Schultz; and her four grandchildren that she was so very proud of: Natasza Lorentz, Karsten Lorentz, Zoe Schultz and Chaz Hogenhauer. The family wish to extend their gratitude to Highgate Senior Living in Wenatchee who always treated our mother/grandmother with respect and to all the care partners who took the time to get to know Dr. Lewis, to care for her, and go to out of their way to make sure she was as comfortable as possible. We could not have done this without you. Thank you all so very much.

Tributes

Dr. Evelyn Rosalie Lewis

September 16, 1921 - February 7, 2018