Barbara A. Lewis

She was born October 15, 1930, in Chicago, IL to Reginald and Lillian Waddell. She was the baby girl of the family, with older brothers, Reginald .and Clifton.

In 1951, she married James E. Lewis, originally from Uniontown, AL, and of their union, Cynthia Ann (Lewis) Love was born. She also had JoEllen Elaine Lewis, but this daughter only survived a month and preceded her in death.

She attended Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University) for 3 years before obtaining a job at Illinois Bell Telephone Company. She became one of the first African American, female managers at Illinois Bell Telephone.

In 1975, she married Douglas G. Lewis, originally from Gary, IN. They were married for 25 years before his death in 2000.

After retiring from IL Bell at age 55, Barbara became a deacon of the Episcopal church. In 1997, she became the first African American, female Episcopal deacon of the Diocese of Nevada. She served as a deacon for 22 years before retiring in 2019 at the age of 89.

She is survived by her daughter, Cynthia, her granddaughter, Sylvia Grace and her cousin, Kay LaVergne Corbin. She also has a host of nieces and nephews as well as close friends who will miss her dearly.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Family Promise/Just Neighbors Program.