Walter Irvin Lewis, superb person, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully Oct. 3 in his home of 46 years in Altadena, Calif., at age 81.

Born in Butler, he was the son of Leon Lewis Sr. and Elma Bauer Lewis.

He served in the 1st Cavalry as part of the U.S. occupying force in Japan following World War II and then graduated with a degree in physics from Thiel College in 1952.

As he said, "the smartest thing he ever did" was to marry Roberta Wynkoop in 1950, with whom he shared 54 years of spirited, laughter-filled marriage until she passed away in 2004.

Walt and Roberta became residents of Altadena in 1960 when he took on the task of setting up a West Coast office for Magnetics Inc. Bravely, they drove across the country in a 1956 Chevy station wagon with Walt's mother and their three young boys in the back, sightseeing along the way. Walt, "Louie, "Dad" and most recently, "Big Walt," was a respected member of the electronics industry throughout his career and worked in manufacturing, sales and management as well as serving on IEEE committees.

As he provided for his family of four children, he also served First Christian Church of Pasadena as a deacon, elder, Sunday school teacher and on numerous committees.

Walt passed along his love of poetry, sunsets, kites, toy stores, hobby stores, surplus stores hiking and the high desert to his four grateful children.

Later in his life, with ultimate grace, dignity, and good humor, he dealt with the many compromises to his body and lifestyle wrought by Parkinson's disease. He has been an inspiring father, Good Samaritan, a gentleman and a model of integrity throughout his life.

Walt will be greatly missed by his brother, Lee; his daughter Charni; his sons, Chick, Mark and Matt; his daughters-in-law, Colleen and Wendy; his son-in-law-equivalent, Rick; his grandchildren, Mical, Katelyn, Charlie and Dylan; his longtime friend and Scrabble partner, Marge Scott — a light in all of our lives — and by a host of others who knew and loved him.

The legacy of his love lives on in so many ways ...

<B>LEWIS</B> — A celebration of the life of Walter Irvin Lewis, who died Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Pasadena Christian Church, 789 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena, Calif.Donations in Walt's memory can be made to the Walter I. Lewis Memorial Fund at Pasadena Christian Church, 789 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107.