Harry Douglas Lewis, longtime funeral home operator

Harry Douglas Lewis Jr., 78, who ran Lewis Funeral Home in Moorestown for 44 years, died Monday, Sept. 29, of heart failure at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.

Mr. Lewis, who went by "Doug," was born in Riverside. He was a 1957 graduate of the American Academy of Funeral Services in New York. After attending his first funeral in his early teens, Mr. Lewis knew he wanted to become a funeral director, son David said.

"He was hooked on it. That's what he wanted to do from when he was a little boy," said David Lewis, owner of B.T. Edgar & Son Realtors in Moorestown.

"In school, they'd ask the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, and that's what he'd say. They'd laugh at him, but that's what he did."

He said his father had the perfect temperament for the job - patience, compassion, and a desire to help people going through difficult times.

David Lewis recalled one Christmas morning when he came downstairs - the family lived above the funeral home on Main Street - and saw his father, who had just gotten a call about a sudden death, leaving to go see a family.

"I told my mom, 'I'm sad Dad's leaving on Christmas morning,' and I remember her saying, 'Think of the other family; they've lost someone on Christmas morning.' That was him, he would get up and do what he needed to do."

A member of the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association for 55 years, Mr. Lewis was a mentor to many aspiring funeral directors. John Engleman worked with Mr. Lewis for 22 years at Lewis Funeral Home before purchasing it from him when he retired in 2008.

"I was newly licensed when I went to work with him. I'd say he was one of the reasons why I'm where I am today," Engleman said.

Engleman said Mr. Lewis' presence in the community - he served on dozens of boards and committees, was an active Rotary member, and was once Moorestown Citizen of the Year - made him a friendly face to neighbors coping with the death of a loved one.

"People are looking for people who are caring, who take the time to listen to them and work with them. It's a stressful time in anybody's life," Engleman said. "I think the biggest thing for him was, be honest with the people and be compassionate with them; never take advantage of people."

Mr. Lewis was a past president of the Salvation Army in Moorestown, the Moorestown Y's Men's Club, the Burlington County Y, the Moorestown Welfare Board, and many other organizations.

He was chairman and cofounder of the Moorestown Antique Show and a member of the Moorestown Rotary, First United Methodist Church, Burlington County YMCA board of trustees, and the Burlington County College Foundation.

Rebecca Corbin, executive director of the Burlington County Community College Foundation, knew Mr. Lewis as one of the foundation's longest-serving board members.

Even in the years leading up to his death, Mr. Lewis was a generous donor, funding scholarships, many times anonymously, Corbin said. A room in the library of the Pemberton campus is named in his honor. "He very much cared about the students and was an influential part of our college life," she said. "He was a wonderful man, a wonderful spirit."

Mr. Lewis also owned a second funeral home, in Medford, from October 1980 to December 1993.

After he retired, he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.

His wife, Suzanne, died nearly 18 years ago of ovarian cancer. At the time of her death, she told her husband she wanted him to live to see their grandson, then 6 months old, graduate from high school.

Harry Lewis graduated in June. His grandfather was too ill to attend, having just undergone a heart valve replacement, so Harry made a trip to the hospital dressed in his graduation robe and hat.

David Lewis said he wished his father - the expert at consoling the bereaved - was there now to help his family grieve. He left behind detailed funeral wishes on the same paperwork that for years he helped other people fill out.

"He has it all covered, A to Z," David Lewis said of the traditional service his father planned. "He always wanted to make sure everything was perfect, because you only have one shot at it."

In addition to his son and grandchildren, Mr. Lewis is survived by daughter Suzanne and two siblings.

A viewing will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, at the Lewis Funeral Home, 78 E. Main St. Moorestown. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at First United Methodist Church, 446 E. Camden Ave., Moorestown, N.J. 08057.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the church or the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties, 59 Centerton Rd., Mount Laurel, N.J. 08054.