Charles Ben Lewis

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Charles Ben¬¬¬ Lewis on June 2, 2024. Charles was born on November 2, 1956, to Frederick Fuhrer Lewis and Jane Taub Strauss Lewis. He entered the world just two minutes after his fraternal twin, Fred, and the two raced through life together, even speaking their own language before their formal education commenced. Their sister, Stacy, was born six years later. That gap in years disappeared before long, as Charles and Stacy grew very close.

Charles was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Memorial High School. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received his undergraduate degree in Psychology. After undergrad, Charles went on to earn his JD from University of Texas School of Law. Everyone who knew Charles knew he was smart - really smart. When in law school, he operated as a student Columbo, always unnoticed until the grades were tallied. He went on to a brief, but notable, legal career. Charles argued before the Texas Supreme Court and won a medical malpractice case with a cross-examination worthy of Perry Mason. After practicing law, Charles went on to get his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Charles was known for his brilliant writing, and wrote pieces in English, French and, best of all, his favorite, Italian.

Charles married the love of his life, Jana Coke Lewis, on September 29, 1984. Their skill sets and temperaments meshed so beautifully. Yin & Yang. Yang & Yin. They completed each other. Charles and Jana were blessed with two children, Andrew Charles Lewis (Drew) and Cailyn Lewis-Laycock. Charles marveled at their talents and took great pride in the people that they have become. He loved Cailyn’s husband, Patrick Laycock, as if he was his own son.

Charles had a huge heart and a generous spirit, and he shared his many talents and passions with his family, friends, and strangers alike. He was a gourmet and a gourmand. If you were fortunate enough to know and love Charles, you knew you were sure to experience one of his amazingly tantalizing and delectable meals paired with the perfect wine. Charles loved to share information and ideas and he loved to teach. He had the gift of being able to quickly and accurately pull just the right quote from the vast library in his mind to emphasize or illustrate a point he was making. Charles learned to fish as a child with his father and his father’s helper, Mojo, and he continued to develop and share that skill throughout his life. Charles also loved bridge, and organized in person games with friends as often as he could. When that wasn’t possible, he would play online to great renown. Most often, he would come in 2nd out of 3500 online players, and he wasn’t afraid to let anyone know it. He lamented to most everyone that, once on hospice care, his ranking dropped to 22nd.

Charles had a love for languages that he pursued as an adult, becoming fluent in Italian and French and able to get by in Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. Those language skills, coupled with his curiosity and empathy, led him to make friends easily everywhere he went. Charles and Jana loved to travel, and this left them with friends around the globe. He organized several trips for his family and friends to different regions of Italy, his spiritual home. On trips with 10 to 15 friends, Charles would encourage each to bring their own ideas of where to go and what to do, which led to wonderfully broad experiences for everyone involved. These trips made it clear that Charles had a gift for bringing people together. He was the force that united them and the glue that held them.

With all his passions and interests, throughout much of his life, what really sustained the Can Man was fishing and fishing trips. The Lewis family acquired a place near Port Aransas, and Charles became the master of Shamrock Cove. While he often referred to himself as “Captain Clueless,” Charles could read the wind and the water and handle a boat as well as any guide. He organized countless fishing trips down to the coast, and each one was an adventure of laughter and incredible fun. Cancer forced Charles to give up his beloved boat as he could no longer meet the physical demands of its operation, but that only opened another door for him. The Lewises obtained a remarkable log house in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and Charles focused his attention on mastering the art of flyfishing. He was a quick study and enjoyed learning and sharing the nuances of his new craft in both Colorado and Texas right up to his passing.

Charles was a spiritual man. He took it upon himself to study the Bible, the Koran, the Hindu religious texts, and the teachings of Buddha, all of which guided him throughout his life, and especially during his 11 year war against both multiple myeloma and kidney cancer. He faced each battle with courage and conviction and won many of them. Nonetheless, it proved to be a war of attrition and the cancers finally wore his body out. Charles maintained the proper perspective on life despite the hand that he had been dealt. He lived in the moment with a sense of gratitude and noted again and again that he was far more grateful for the blessings that he had retained than he was bitter about the ones that he had lost. That continued to be his attitude even as he approached his final days.

Charles had grave concerns about the state of the world. Nevertheless, he believed in the power of love and knew that, so long as we are motivated by love, not fear, we will prosper together.

Charles received incredible care and support from Dr. James Uyeki and his team at Texas Oncology. Dr. Uyeki became more than a doctor to Charles. He was a cherished friend with whom Charles shared many interests. Charles would attest that Dr. Uyeki’s tender and well-reasoned care and guidance added years to his life. His family is forever grateful.

Charles is survived by his wife, Jana; his children Drew Lewis and Cailyn Lewis-Laycock, and her husband, Patrick; his brother, Fred Lewis, and his wife, Dawn, and their children, Hannah, Alex, and Amanda; and his sister, Stacy Lewis Graubart, and her children, Isabel, Lewis, and Beatrice.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Charles’ honor to

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation,

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/donate

or

Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited,

https://members.grtu.org/product/grtu-donation-nyp/

A celebration of Charles’ life will be held on the grounds of the Laguna Gloria Art Museum on Friday, June 14, 2024. Please email [email protected] for details if you plan to attend.

We love you, Dadnik!