Amherst, Walter Richard (Hank) Lewison, 89, a long-time resident of Amherst, died

Peacefully on Monday, January 18, 2016. Husband of the late Agnes Marie (Graves) Lewison, who predeceased him on June 14, 2015, Hank and his beloved Agnes (Aggie) would have celebrated their 62^nd wedding anniversary on January 16, 2016. 

Walter was also predeceased by his parents, the late Anna (Hanuszczyk) Lisiewicz and Frederick Lisiewicz, three sisters; Mary, Rose, and Catherine, and three brothers;  Peter, Michael and Stephen.  

Walter leaves behind his children, Maureen of Seattle, WA, Eileen of Arlington, VA, Richard of Amherst, MA, Mark of West Hollywood, CA, John of Whitefish, MT, Thomas of Ware, MA, and Eric of Belchertown, MA, as well as his daughters-in-law Paulette and Kathleen, sons-in-law John and Leandro, and 7 grandchildren, Nathaniel, Maia, Charlotte, Steven, Michael, William and Tess, and many nieces and nephews. 

Born in Ludlow, Massachusetts on February 23, 1926, Hank was a 1943 graduate of Ludlow High School. He attended Tufts University and graduated from George Washington University. 

Hank’s early career was that of naval pilot until retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Commander in 1964. He then spent the next ten years as a stockbroker and commodities trader working for several brokerage firms in Los Angeles, CA, Washington, DC, and Springfield, MA.

He was also owner and operator of a Christmas tree farm in Ludlow, MA until 1987 and was a member of the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association until that time. 

Hank was a true renaissance man; believing that change and reinvention leads to longevity and true happiness. He was a committed environmentalist and steward of the land, conserving large land tracts in both Massachusetts and Vermont. 

He will live in our hearts forever. His sage advice has given us all a sense of integrity, honesty, and the ability to change direction many times in life in order to remain interesting and interested. 

“Fly to the Stars where one day we will meet again”. 

There will be a private family memorial locally. Final interment will be together with his beloved wife Agnes in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.

Arrangements are forthcoming. 

Questions and condolences may be directed to:

richard.lewison@gmail.com