I. Norman Lewis' Obituary
It is with a heavy heart to let you all know, our father, Norman Lewis passed away peacefully in his sleep April 19 in his home with our mother by his side. He was born Ian Norman Lewis November 30, 1937 in London, England. As a toddler his family moved to Long Island, New York, as World War II was intensifying to escape the Nazi invasions that were spreading across Europe. He grew up in Long Island, NY as an only child in a loving Jewish family, embracing his New York roots but always dreaming about journeying to Hawaii as a pipe dream to paradise.
When he was in his early 20s he took a chance with a buddy from New York to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa for a semester and fell in love with the people and the beauty of Hawaii and decided to stay. After graduating with a degree in economics, he subsequently joined U.S. and Hawaii Senator Sparky Matsunaga's team and moved to Washington DC where he was a speech writer and political strategist for the senator.
A few years later at a Trucking Industry party in DC, he met the love of his life, a 21-year-old beautiful Japanese girl named Harriet Yoshida, from Northern California who recently graduated from the University of the Pacific and was working for that Trucking Lobbyist firm. The two fell deeply in love and 8 months later the two love birds got married in Hawaii in 1966.
They had their first son Cedric in 1969 and then moved the family to Miami, Florida, for Norman to attend the University of Miami law school to be close to his parents who had retired to Hollywood, FL., to help his mother with his father's ailing health. He was remembered by his law school classmates as the most well-dressed, "ready for primetime" students in his class, as he was always incredibly prepared and always wore a suit and tie to class each day. His close friends referred to him as Stormin' Norman.
Harriet was also very busy during this time as she gave birth to their second son Staughton, in 1970 and provided amazing support to Norman raising two little boys while he was going through law school.
After law school, the family moved back to Hawaii for Norman to start a private practice with his friend Jerry Miyoshi, specializing in real estate contract law. In a few years, a new calling emerged from one of his mentors, Judge William Richardson, who was the senior ranking justice in the Hawaii Supreme Court, and who thankfully nominated and swore in Norman to the District Court of Hawaii in 1979. Norman served with an impeccable record and with distinction while on the bench for over two decades, retiring as a Circuit Court judge.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, he was a devoted father and loving husband. He was known for his wry humor, New York accent, and incredibly wise and thoughtful insight. He never missed a Little League or high school game his sons participated in, and was always present for both the triumphs and dark times with his family's lives. He promoted kindness and grace as foundational traits and continually put his family first before himself in all situations. Most importantly, he was the rock of his family, the consummate intellectual, and our personal hero. Our family adored him, and the void he leaves will never get replaced. We are grateful that he is now at peace and on his final journey. To quote him, "Wherever you go, I hope you choose kindness and grace. It's a motto that serves my soul, and I think it will serve you as well".
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