Franklin D. Lewis

Dr. Franklin Dan Lewis passed away from this life on February 3, 2019. He was a Christian and believed in eternal life of the spirit and the abiding love of Jesus Christ. He is survived by his wife, Gloria E. Lewis.

Franklin Dan and his twin sister, Eleanor Ann, were born in Clovis, NM, on August 5, 1934. They were one of three sets of twins and ten children who were born to Paul Dewey Lewis and Lucille Howze Lewis. The Lewis family moved to San Angelo, TX, where Franklin grew up and attended public schools. He attended San Angelo Junior College and earned an Associates of Arts in 1954. Following his graduation from SAC in 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He and five others were the first service men in the United States to be trained in the Vietnamese language at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, D.C. He was a communications specialist for the Air Force and completed a tour of duty in London, England. After four years of active duty, he spent an additional four years in the active reserves.

Following his discharge from active duty in 1959, he returned to his hometown of San Angelo. He had a strong interest in psychology and moved to Lubbock, where he obtained a Bachelor (1961) and Master of Arts (1963) degrees in Psychology, with a concentration in rehabilitation counseling, from Texas Technological College. His first professional position as a psychologist was at the Rehabilitation Center in Albuquerque, NM, where he was the Assistant Administrator for four years. He returned to Texas Tech University in1966 to work on a doctorate in counseling psychology. Following the completion of his course work, he did his internship in New York City at New York University Medical Center. He received his Doctorate in Psychology in 1969 and took an Associate Professor position at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR. In 1970, he accepted the position of Senior Psychologist with the Ouachita Mental Health Center in Hot Springs, AR. He met his wife, Gloria Ellis, while in Hot Springs and they moved to Dallas so that he could implement the new Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services of the Dallas County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Center. He also helped develop mental health services in the Dallas County Jail.

In 1986, the State of Texas celebrated its 150th anniversary. To honor that Sesquicentennial celebration, Dr. Lewis wrote the screen play for a musical: “Jalapeno Sam as Seen Through the Eyes of Frankie Dan.” Sam Lewis was Frank's older brother who gave us a line of jalapeno products. Sam also was credited by the Texas Handbook on History with having invented the Armadillo Races. The play was premiered in Austin in 1985 as a gift to the citizens of Texas.

After being employed by Dallas County MHMR Center for seventeen years, Dr. Lewis left that agency and opened a private clinical practice with his wife. Dr. Lewis also evaluated individuals who were being hired for fire and police positions in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for over twenty years. As he was also a forensic psychologist, he worked with many attorneys, judges and officers of the court system to evaluate and provide mental health services for adults and juveniles. He retired in 2018. Dr. Lewis was a member of the American Psychological Association for forty-six years.

He and his wife traveled extensively with family and friends. Their favorite destinations were Natchez, MS, Savannah, GA, and Europe. Dr. Lewis was an opera aficionado and subscribed to the Dallas Opera for over forty years. He had strong interests in the arts and Texas History. He was a member of the Dallas Museum of Arts and the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Dr. Lewis is survived by his brother, Jim Lewis, of Los Lunas, NM, and his sister, Charline Eblen of Durant, OK. Some of his many nieces, nephews and namesakes include: Ted F. Lewis of Frisco, TX, his sister, Jennifer Waine of Carrollton, TX, Kevin F. Lewis of Prosper, TX, and David F. Bell of New York, NY. He is also survived by nephew Charles G. Ellis of Providence Village, TX, and nieces, Patty Stewart of Farmersville, AR and Kathy Leslie of Benton, AR. He and Gloria enjoyed many vacation trips and special times with Charles, Kathy and Patty. He was exceptionally generous and caring to family and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2019, at 11:00 am at the First United Methodist Church, 1901 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to Crossroads Community Services, 4500 S. Cockrell Road, Dallas, TX, 75236 or to a charitable organization of your choice.