THE DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
Daytona Beach, Florida
Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Funeral Services celebrating the life of former Palm Coast Council Member William Alonzo Lewis, 84, will be held on Monday, December 28, 2015 in St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 5400 Belle Terre Parkway, Palm Coast at 1:00 PM. Interment will follow in Flagler Palms Memorial Gardens.

Mr. Lewis, a resident of Palm Coast since 1999 coming from White Plains NY, passed away on Sunday, December 20, 2015 in Florida Hospital Flagler. He was born on June 18, 1931 in St. Augustine, FL, a son of the late James and Minnie Beauford Lewis.

Former Council Member Lewis, a retired manager in the fields of finance and education, was selected to serve on the Palm Coast City Council in November 2008 representing District # 4. Mr. Lewis has long been active in the community and local government. He was a member of the Palm Coast Planning and Land Development Regulation Board for eight years and also served on the Planning and Ordinance Committee from 2000-2002.

His leadership experience includes being the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Advanced Technology Center in Daytona Beach, the leadership council board of the Daytona Beach Halifax Chamber of Commerce, the Advisory Committee of the University of Florida Marine Extension Program, was included in "Who's Who" in Finance and Industry, a member of Kappa Alpha Phi Fraternity and served on the Flagler County Futures Committee for the 2010 Flagler County Comprehensive Plan changes, was a member of the Afro-American Cultural Society and the NAACP.

In 2010, he was given the Coretta Scott King Human Rights Award from Chi Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Ivy Community Foundation. Mr. Lewis received a BS Degree from Shaw University and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Pace University in NY and was a veteran serving in the US Army during the Korean Conflict.

He spent most of his professional career working in NY, having working in medical research, for the US Treasury in the Savings Bond Division, as a private Pension Investment Manager and finally as the Complaint Officer for the NY Board of Education.

He is survived by his son, Bartlett Lewis, his daughter, Pavalon Lee, a nephew, Craig Lewis and a niece, Wanda Lewis.

The family suggests contributions to the Endowment Fund of St. Thomas Episcopal Church of Palm Coast.

Arrangements are in the care and trust of Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home.

 

MEMORIAL SERVICE

Services set for former Palm Coast councilman Bill Lewis died Sunday

By Jennifer Edwards-Park

PALM COAST — Services are set for a former Palm Coast City Council member who died Sunday.

The funeral service for William "Bill" Alonzo Lewis, who represented District 4 from 2008 to 2014, is set for 1 p.m. Monday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 5400 Belle Terre Parkway, according to city officials. Interment will follow in Flagler Palms Memorial Gardens, according to his obituary.

Lewis was 84. He was born June 8, 1931 in St. Augustine and was the third black council member since Palm Coast incorporated in 1999, city officials said. He died at Florida Hospital Flagler.

Lewis had worked as a manager in the fields of finance and education and in November 2008 was selected to serve on the council. He served until 2014, when he was stricken with shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash and can cause other health complications. He missed several meetings that year due to the illness, according to Mayor Jon Netts, and lost his seat in the November election to Councilman Steven Nobile.

Councilman Jason DeLorenzo worked with Lewis on the council for three years but knew him from other boards Lewis had joined.

"He will be missed," DeLorenzo said. "I really enjoyed working with Bill. He was a really, really nice person, real level-headed, considerate, cared about the arts."

He said that Lewis, rather than being confrontational about issues, was able to talk them through.
"He could articulate,"DeLorenzo said.

Lewis was a charter member of the Flagler branch of the NAACP, joining at its inception in 1999, said Flagler County NAACP president Linda Sharpe Matthews. He was part of its executive committee but had to step down when he was elected to the City Council. He remained a member.
"I think he was a very good city council person, someone young people could look up to, someone that everyone admired," said Matthews, whose mother had gone to college with Lewis. "He had integrity."

Lewis is survived by two grown children, daughter Pavalon Lee and son Bartlett Lewis, nephew Craig Lewis and niece Wanda Lewis, according to his obituary.

Arrangements are by Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home.