Richard Cameron Lewis

Arden Richard Cameron Lewis, 87, of Arden, passed away Monday, December 28, 2009 at his residence. Son of Homer Hadley and May Cameron Lewis, Richard spent his formative years in Cleveland, Ohio. He volunteered for the Air Force upon reaching his 21st birthday and became an officer in the 15th Air Force, stationed in Foggia, Italy during WWII. In a B-17, Richard served as Navigator on 50 combat missions over Germany, Southern France, Italy and Axis held positions in the Balkans and Southeast Europe. The content of Richards contributions is detailed in the combat mission chronicles Defenders of Liberty, The Second Was First and Mighty by Sacrifice published in 1996, 1999 and 2009, respectively. Following the War, Richard made his career with Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio), and later with British Petroleum (BP). He retired and moved to Arden, North Carolina in 1984. Known throughout his life as congenial and friendly, his wit and down-to-earth perspectives will be sadly missed. Although, by one month, Richard did not achieve his goal of outliving his dad, his spirit will continue to fly through a contribution from his estate to the Collings Foundation to keep airworthy one of the last flying B-17s. He leaves his aunt, Irene Lewis and cousins Ronald, Clifford, Elaine (Jackson) and Norman Lewis. Services will be held at Anders Rice Funeral Home on Saturday, January 2nd at 2:00 with a burial to follow at Lewis Memorial Park in Asheville, NC. Visiting hours will be from 12:00 to 2:00 on Saturday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts. Donations should be made in Richards name by calling the Foundation at 978-562-9182.