Donald Maurice Lewis, age 91 of Hudson, WI passed away on December 18th, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. Don was born on May 24, 1933, in Appleton, WI, the first of three children born to Maurice and Ruth Lewis. Soon after earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute (Terre Haute, IN), Don moved to St. Paul, MN to begin a career in science and engineering at 3M.

With a little help from friends, Don met a cute 3M secretary who served homemade pie and coffee at the end of dates. Don and Mary Lou married on October 26, 1957, and moved to Hudson, WI where they raised four children. They were together for 67 years, until death did them part.

Don was a part of 3M for four decades and earned multiple U.S. patents for developing new manufacturing process technologies. When he retired, Don and Mary Lou launched the retirement of their dreams. They spent winters in Bonita Springs, FL where they built a busy life of tennis, deep-sea fishing, biking, singing, and seafood with good friends old (fellow 3M  retirees) and new (neighbors, church choir members). They built a cabin in northern Wisconsin and filled warm days with fishing, swimming and boating with their family. They traveled extensively via land (e.g., New Zealand, Costa Rica) and sea (e.g., sailing the Caribbean, cruising the Danube).

For as long as he was able, Don regularly attended and supported the United Methodist Church (Hudson, Wi, and Naples, FL). His favorite way to offer praise was singing bass in the choirs.

Don was a scholar, scientist, musician, artist and craftsperson, sailor, teacher, athlete and family man. He built his first sailboat from an old skiff and sailed with his brother on Poygan Lake in WI. Later he sailed the St. Croix River with his family, collecting several racing trophies as part of the St. Croix Sailing Club annual events. When the river got too small, he bought a bigger boat and moved the family sailing to Bayfield, WI. Don loved woodworking and his family has a collection of beautiful things that came from his workshop – from stools and tables to bowls and Christmas decorations. A pianist since youth, Don also taught himself to play the banjo and enjoyed being part of a folk-style band that played for fun and in church. In his 80s, Don ordered classes on DVDs and studied things like calculus and physics, just to keep things fresh.

Don is survived by his wife Mary Lou; children Martha Lewis, Julie (Scott) Snedecor, Jim (Janett) Lewis, and Beth (Mike) Dudinyak; grandchildren David, Mark and Joshua; sister Alice (Ken) Hoeth; and brother Paul (Karen) Lewis.

Visitation will be at noon in the Hudson United Methodist Church on Friday, January 17. A service will start at 1:00 p.m., followed by a commitment ceremony at the Willow River Cemetery in Hudson, WI.  Afterward, the family will return to the Methodist Church; please join them there for light refreshment and fellowship.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014 Hagerstown, MD 21741 (or michaeljfox.org).

Funeral Services entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson.