Tom Henry Lewis, 82, of Watertown, Massachusetts, died peacefully from natural causes on July 3, 2025, at Neville Center at Fresh Pond, near his home in Watertown.
Tom was born the son of Herman and Angeline (Smith) Lewis on May 10, 1943, on the family farm near Edgewood, Iowa. He was valedictorian of the class of 1961, the last class to graduate from Edgewood High School. The following year Edgewood and Colesburg united to become Ed-Co.
Tom graduated from Cal Poly Tech in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1965 and began his career as a registered architect working for Leo Peiffer Assoc. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tom later worked to enhance accessibility for the disabled at the Iowa School for the Blind in Vinton, Iowa. He subsequently moved to Watertown, Massachusetts where he was employed by the Perkins School for the Blind. Tom held several positions in the Boston area, including roles at the Harvard Medical School and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he retired as Senior Architect.
After retirement Tom enjoyed traveling, painting, and volunteering at the Watertown Senior Citizens Center. His paintings were shown in a number of venues in the Boston area, including the Boston Public Library and the Harvard Medical School. In 2012 the Watertown Art Association awarded Best in Show to Tom’s painting of Horn Pond.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Angeline Lewis, and his brother, Dean A. Lewis. He is survived by two sisters, Jane (George) Abbas of Mesa, Arizona and Nancy (Charles) Helle of Vinton, Iowa; seven nephews: Craig and Derek Lewis, Gregory, Jeffrey, and Bradley Abbas, and Andrew and Scott Helle; a niece, Jennifer (Helle) Jirak; several grand-nephews and grand-nieces; and numerous dear friends.
Funeral services for Tom will be held later in Iowa. For guestbook please visit
www.macdonaldrockwell.com