Charlie Clifton Lewis

Obituary 1-888-579-7953 Code: 2002089P Charlie Clifton Lewis, 87, of Beaufort died Saturday, January 10, 2015 at Crystal Coast Hospice House in Newport. A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 14, at First Free Will Baptist Church in Beaufort with Rev. Richard Patterson and Rev. Joseph Hall presiding. Interment will follow with a Masonic service at Ocean View Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13. Charlie Clifton grew up on Lennoxville Point, and was the 5th son of Abeta Willis Lewis and Charlie Sawyer Lewis. He was a World War II veteran, serving his country in the U.S. Army from June 1945 - November 1946. He was a Mason for 65 years with the Franklin 109 Masonic Lodge in Beaufort. In June 1994 he received an appointment by Gov. Jim Hunt to the Morehead City Navigation and Pilotage Commission. He served on the commission until June 2012. As a young man of 21 years of age, he was the youngest Menhaden Fishing Captain. Mainly fishing in the Gulf, he worked with The Fish Meal Company. In 1958 he attended the Tellers Celestial Navigation School in Mobile, Alabama where he earned a Master of Ocean Steam and Motor Vessels, a U.S. Merchant Marine Document, a First Class Pilot Steam or Motor Vessels, and Radar Endorsement. After working in the Menhaden Industry he made a career change and became a Captain with the N.C Department of Transportation, Ferry Division. While with the Ferry Division he worked as a Captain, as Superintendent of District III, and as Senior Ferry Captain. He retired in 1989. He is survived by his beloved wife, Lillie Mae Dunn Lewis whom he married on February 7, 1949; his daughter, Kathy Lewis Merrill and husband Robert; grandsons, Captain Michael Clifton Merrill, and Major Jonathan Lewis Merrill, U.S.A.F. and wife Dr. Kate Mansi Merrill; great-grandchildren, Arilyn Paige Merrill and Andrew RyLance Merrill; sisters Letha Lewis Davis, and Ada Lewis Taylor and husband Lazz; brother Otis Lewis and wife Jeanette; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by brothers Charlie Lewis, Jr. and Ralph Lenwood Lewis; sister Pearl Lewis Hunnings and husband Oliver, and Bertie Smith Murphy and husband Elmo; brother-in-law Hubert Davis; and step-mother Polly Barker Smith Lewis. Memorial donations may be made to the Youth Program at the First Free Will Baptist Church, P. O. Box 2069, Beaufort, N.C. 28516 or the Franklin 109 Masonic Lodge, 104 Professional Park Drive, Beaufort, N.C. 28516. Flowers are also welcome. Facts Born: April 19, 1927 Death: January 10, 2015 Services Visitation Tuesday January 13, 2015 , 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at First Free Will Baptist Church Funeral Service Wednesday January 14, 2015 , 11:00 a.m. at First Free Will Baptist Church Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Charlie Clifton Lewis