Donald E. Lewis, Texas Baptist pastor and denominational worker, died Oct. 27. He was 91. He was born on July 7, 1934, to Lowell Vaden Lewis Sr. and Lillie Wartzick, on a farm near Neches in East Texas. After he graduated from high school in Palestine, he went on to attend the University of Texas in Austin. After one year at UT, he felt God’s call to ministry and transferred to East Texas Baptist College in Marshall, where he earned his undergraduate degree. At ETBC, he met classmate Olivia Faye Todd from the Houston area, who was instrumental in the daily devotional gathering students participated in each morning. They married in June 1957, the same year he was ordained to the gospel ministry. Don served several churches in East Texas before serving churches in Nashville, Tenn., Beaumont and Fort Worth. He studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, earning his doctorate in 1968. He was pastor of Connell Baptist Church, now Citylight Fort Worth, from 1972 to 1981. He was a church extension consultant with the Baptist General Convention of Texas before joining the staff of Tarrant Baptist Association, where he served 17 years as director of church/mission development and director of church starting until his retirement in 1999. He was preceded in death by a brother, Lowell. He is survived by his wife Olivia; son Keith Lewis and his wife Mary Lewis of Keller; son Vaden Todd Lewis and his wife Rachel Stas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Memorial gifts can be made to Citylight Fort Worth by clicking here.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.