Alden Lewis

Alden P. Lewis passed away on November 4th, 2024 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania at the age of 102. He was born in Elmhurst, New York on July 24th, 1922. His father, Saxby A. Lewis, died in 1930, leaving his mother Frances to raise five children during the Great Depression.

Alden graduated from Newtown High School in Elmhurst in 1940. For most of his working life he was employed by the New York City Transit Authority, starting as a subway car maintainer and working his way up to the position of Electrical Engineer by taking night classes at The Cooper Union in New York City. He retired in 1979.

He married Eleanor Blanchard of Contoocook, New Hampshire in 1949, and they had three sons. They moved from Elmhurst to Fair Lawn, New Jersey in 1960. Alden and Eleanor relocated to Etowah, North Carolina in 1984, and to Chapel Pointe in Carlisle in 2001. His beloved wife Eleanor passed away in 2004.

Alden was an inveterate tinkerer who could (and would) take apart any electrical or mechanical device and put it back together. He built hundreds of gadgets and dozens of larger projects, including a telescope, a seismograph, and an addition on the house in New Jersey. His hobbies included ham radio, astronomy, photography, and seismology, and in later years he watched Jeopardy! faithfully.

He carried a small slip of paper with key words to remind him of dozens of jokes that he could tell at any appropriate occasion (or on no occasion in particular).

He was an excellent singer, often performing solos in church accompanied by Eleanor on the piano. They also sang duets together and sang in the church choir.

He was a faithful and influential member of several churches over the years, including The Gospel Tabernacle in New York City, the Fair Lawn Bible Church in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and finally Chapel Pointe. 

Alden will be remembered for his gentle, generous nature, his ever-present sense of humor, and most notably his Christian faith, upon which his character and his life were built.

He is survived by his three sons Glenn (Shelia), Timothy (Patricia), and Gregg (Karen), six grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM on November 19th, 2024 at Chapel Pointe, 770 South Hanover Street, Carlisle, PA 17013.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Chapel Pointe may be made at the address above.