Donald Lewis

Donald Lewis, 77 years old, died on July 20 from complications of long term illnesses. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Lorraine and Phillip Lewis and reared from age one in central New Jersey.
From ages eight to 12 Don worked as a professional model in New York City and appeared in the Sears catalog and magazines. As a teenager he won academic and poetry awards, and was senior class president and a National Merit Scholar. He and close friends David Gershen and Doug Seroff were post-beatnik, pre-hippie early discoverers and appreciators of Delta blues, folk music, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. In his teen years, he was also active in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements. He attended the second civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
The search for truth and beauty were central themes of Don’s life, which he pursued through music, art, philosophy, poetry, religion and meditation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Yale University in 1969, then a Master of Architecture from MIT in 1973.
After college, Don married Terri Chotiner, whom he had dated on-and-off since their high school freshman year. Their relationship became closer each year of their nearly 55-year marriage. In 1973 they moved from Boston to Maine to continue the canoe camping they both loved.
Their first home in Maine was an abandoned 42-acre farm in in the woods of Bucksport. They renovated the farmhouse, which had not previously had electricity or indoor plumbing. Their children, Anya and Gabe, were born in the ensuing years. In 1989, Don and Terri designed and built a new home in Bangor.
After working for architect Nick Holt in Ellsworth, Don founded his own architecture firm in Bucksport in the early 1980s. A year later, his friend Rick Malm joined him to form Lewis + Malm Architecture. Together, over nearly 40 years of successful partnership (and family friendship that continues to this day), they designed more than 30 schools, numerous city halls, fire and police stations, medical offices, nursing homes, banks and private residences. Don’s proudest architectural achievements include the Bangor Children’s Museum, Downeast Heritage Center in Calais, Ashland and Dover-Foxcroft K-12 Schools, and renovation of the Jewish Funeral Chapel and the sanctuaries of Congregation Beth El and Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor.
Don served on the Boards and as President of the Maine Humanities Council and Congregation Beth El of Bangor. He was a founding Board member of the Bucksport Regional Health Center. In the 1980s, he founded three Men’s Groups, each of which met for decades.
In his later years Don became an avid student of his Jewish heritage, and especially the ancient Jewish wisdom texts.
A memorial service will be held in the Jewish Funeral Chapel at 118 Center Street in Bangor on Tuesday, July 23 at 3 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Congregation Beth Israel, 144 York Street, Bangor, Maine 04401.
Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com. Those who wish to view the service may livestream it at https://my.gather.app/remember/donald-lewis-jul-20-2024