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MARCH 2018     |   Vol. 23   |    Issue 3    |     Mail Run: 8,472    |     Total Print Run: 11,500

















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               T     ribute to Donald Lee Lewis






                Veteran, Husband, Conser vationist, Community Friend, Politician


               Deb Abraham Spalding


               Donald L. Lewis often said his goal   call in guesses                                      beside him in the   and served in France where he was
            was to live to be one hundred years   about who                                               second of triplet   unharmed by a bullet that zinged
            old. Never one to fuss, I’ll assume   the upcoming                                            rocking chairs in   around the rim of his helmet. He was
            that he didn’t mind that Heaven       spotlight was                                           his living room.   posted about thirty feet up in a tree
            called him home slightly early, at the   from clues                                           As we rocked       when the bullet entered the front of
            age of ninety-nine and almost two     printed in the                                          through his        his helmet at such an angle that it rode
            months, because more than likely he   previous issue.                                         stories, I tried to   the inside rim around his head and
            was reunited with his beloved wife of   Donald had the                                        envision what he   exited out the back, making another
            sixty-eight years, Freda, there.      highest number                                          has lived.         hole.  He bounced down the tree from
               I knew Donald Lewis all of my life.   of guesses ever                                         Mr. Lewis       limb to limb, but came out okay. As
            He and my father were buddies in      logged in the                                           was one of         luck would have it, soon after, he was
            outdoor pursuits like fishing, hunting,   five years the                                      twelve children    hit on the upper left thigh by shrapnel
            and shooting. My father, Robert       column was                                              of Edgar Russell   when a tank exploded nearby.
            Abraham, Sr. and Donald volunteered   run. Here’s an                                          and Glenna            He had four surgeries to remove
            with the Brotherhood of the Jungle    excerpt from                                            (Weller) Lewis.    the shrapnel, the last of which he
            Cock fishing organization for many    that column:                                            After age eight,   opted to stay awake without pain
            years by serving as president and on                                                          he was raised      medication, so that he could tell the
            the executive board. Dad shared,        “Who Am                                               by his maternal    doctor when he found the shrapnel.
            “Donald was a true conservationist.   I?” August,                                             grandparents       The doctor removed it.
            He never killed a fish or an animal   2008                                                    who let him stay      Upon return, he and Freda worked
            that he didn’t eat. He would            I am Donald                                           at their house     her family’s farm for a while, and
            transport live fish in a milk can from   Lee Lewis.                        for several years after he got caught   then he became a funeral director and
            the Potomac River to his pond in        From mayor of Thurmont to          there during a snow storm. “They [his   embalmer for Winterberg Funeral
            Thurmont so local kids could fish     Commissioner of Frederick County;    grandparents] just called my mother   Home in Grantsville. A few years
            them out.”                            from store owner to mortician (yes,   and asked if they could raise me,” he   later, when Mr. Winterberg died and
               Donald carried my senior high      you read that right—mortician!); from   said.                              his family sold the funeral home, Mr.
            graduation photo in his wallet.       a decorated Army Ranger to humble       He did what had to be done in      Lewis and his wife bought her family’s
            Whenever I ran into him, he’d pull    husband; and from sportsman to       various situations including working   farm and farmed it until 1952. It was
            out that picture and show everyone    farmer, Donald Lewis is a man you    his family’s farm in Thurmont.        that year that Mr. Lewis returned
            nearby. Proud as anything, he’d grin   might pass on the street and wonder   “Those were the days when you       to Thurmont. He and Mrs. Lewis
            and say, “Look at this beautiful girl in   what he’s seen. You may have met   milked the cows and fed the horses   purchased Wisotzkey General Store
            this picture. Do you know her?”       Mr. Lewis when you shopped in his    before you had your breakfast,” he    on the corner square in Thurmont.
               Through my family’s friendship     sporting goods and gift store on the   said, “The farm came first.”        It had a fountain, a toy room on the
            with him, I knew him one way, but     square in Thurmont, or you may          After his grandparents passed, he   second floor, and a gift shop. Soon
            while interviewing him for an article   have waved when you drove by his   helped his paternal grandfather, J.   after, he bought the drug store next
            in The Catoctin Banner in August      house on West Main Street (Route 77   Hooker Lewis, with his horses. Upon   door and made it into a sporting
            2008, I learned about his impact      west) in Thurmont. You probably still   graduating from Thurmont High      goods store. They called the business
            on people and progress. I was still   wave, like I do. ...having discovered   School in 1935, he worked with the   Lewis’ Toys, Gifts and Confectionary.
            a green reporter, having taken over   during our interview that he waves   Civilian Conservation Corps where     “It was a very good business,” he
            the newspaper about a year prior.     at everybody. That’s the person he is:   he was sent to Medimountain in    said.
            Donald was selected as one of our     community member, all-around good    Grantsville, Maryland. He met his        He was encouraged to run for
            “Who Am I?” personalities. For the    person. Humble, I say, because he    future wife, Freda Broadwater, there.   mayor of Thurmont where he was
            “Who Am I?” column, readers would     is that, too. For the interview, I sat   Humorously, he recalled her falling off   elected and served three terms
                                                                                       a hay wagon while she was throwing    from 1964 to 1970. Next, he was
                                                                                       hay. They were married in 1942 and    encouraged to run for Frederick
                                                                                       spent 62 years together until her death   County Commissioner and was
                                                                Residential Customer
                                                                                       in April of 2004. Mr. Lewis spoke     elected and served from 1970 to 1978.
                        E D D M
                                                                                   301-447-2804
                                                                                       fondly of her and of her last days and   In 1986, he and Freda decided to sell
                       P A I D
                                                                                   www.TheCatoctinBanner.com
                                                                                       admitted, “She was one of the best.   the business.
                          U.S.POSTAGE
                                                                                   Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727
                                                                                       We did everything together.”             The words printed here don’t pay
                           ECRWSS
                                                                                   515B East Main Street
                                                                                          He joined the Army in 1940         … Story   continued on page 22
                            PRSRT STD
                                                                                   The Catoctin Banner Newspaper
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