Elizabeth J. 'Liz' Lewis, 77; Long-time New Canaan Resident Who Enjoyed the Beach, Travel

Elizabeth J. Lewis, , resident of New Canaan for more than 35 years died Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014 at her home. She was 77.

Born Oct. 23,1936 in West Caldwell, NJ, she was the daughter of the late Carl Ivan and Ruth Kyle Johnson.

Liz (or “Zard”, as she was affectionately known to some) grew up in Norwalk, and was a graduate of Norwalk High School. She graduated from Smith College with a degree in government. After college, she moved to New York City where she worked at McGraw Hill. It was in New York, when he came with a friend to help paint her apartment, that she met the love of her life, Dick Lewis.

They were married in 1958, had their daughter, Kyle, and after the birth of their second child, Nick, moved to Norwalk and then later New Canaan. The couple shared a love of the beach, travel, backgammon and Boggle and enjoyed 37 years of marriage. After Dick’s death, Liz continued to lead a busy life, enjoying many games of bridge, British crosswords and an obsessive love-hate relationship with needlepoint. She dearly loved her children, grandchildren, her good friends, her book group and Woodway Beach Club, where she was queen of the beach, holding court at her special place.

She was an active member of St. Mark’s Church and was a member of Staying Put in New Canaan. 

Survivors include her daughter, Kyle Paige and her husband Robert of Miami, FL; a son, Nicholas H. Lewis and his partner, Lisa Gottheil of New York City; a brother, Robert Kyle Johnson of Aiken, SC; and grandchildren Madeleine, Connor, Jaya and Hudson. 

She was the widow of Richard S. Lewis, who died in 1995. 

A memorial visitation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, at Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main St., New Canaan. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Mark’s Church, New Canaan in the summer at a time to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Staying Put in New Canaan, PO Box 484, New Canaan, CT 06840; or the Josh Gottheil Memorial Fund for Oncology Nurses, 509 E. Holmes, Urbana, IL 61801.