Kathleen Lewis (1932-2025)

Kathleen Ann Lewis, 92, a life-long resident of Hershey, passed away on February 20, 2025, at the Lebanon Valley Home in Annville.  She was born on July 3, 1932, in Hershey, the daughter of the late Edward Sr. and Dorothy (Rogers) Lewis.

Kathleen attended Derry Township Schools where she participated in chorus and played tenor sax in the band, orchestra, and dance band. After graduating from Hershey High School in 1950, she continued her education at Hershey Junior College and later became a dental assistant at Fort Indiantown Gap.  She loved swimming, excelling in the backstroke in the competitions she entered. In 1952, she accepted a job at the Hershey Women’s Club where she taught swimming and diving. Recognizing the need for female competitive sports, Kathleen established and coached the Hershey Girls’ Aquatic Club, a successful competitive swim team for girls 8 to 16 years old, leading them to meets across south central and southeastern PA.  Beyond guiding their athleticism, Kathleen taught “her girls” important life lessons including discipline, sportsmanship, and teamwork, while having fun and developing friendships. Many of her swimmers kept in touch over the years, several visiting her in the last days of her life.

After 10 years of coaching at the Women’s Club, Kathleen turned her attention to earning a degree in Dental Hygiene. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965, thereafter dedicating her entire dental hygiene career to working side-by-side with her sister, Joanne, and her late brother, Dr. Edward B. Lewis, in his dental practice.

Above all, Kathleen’s faith was most important to her. She was a life-long member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church and participated in numerous church activities including volunteering for the annual church festivals, traveling to Washington, DC for the March for Life, and singing in the choir for many years.

With the discovery of old family letters in her late mother’s belongings, Kathleen developed a genuine interest in genealogy. Initial conversations with local relatives, visits to graveyards, and sifting through old courthouse documents in her grandparents’ hometown in Lebanon County led her to the identification of relatives back to the 1700’s, both here in the United States and across the ocean to Trowbridge, England.  This connection through her grandfather Rogers not only extended this branch of the family tree back to the 1500’s but also sparked a lifelong friendship with the Rogers family.  Over the years, Kathleen visited the Rogers’ numerous times, also welcoming them and several members of their family to the U.S. The years of research and discovery culminated in Kathleen’s publication of “Family Reunion,” a 364-page book recording all the information she discovered, dedicating her labor of love to her parents with the closing instruction that future generations continue to be recorded.  Because of her discovery of several relatives’ military service, Kathleen was inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1976 as a direct descendent of a patriot of the Revolutionary War.

Kathleen’s interest in history extended beyond genealogy to a commitment to honoring the history of her hometown, Hershey, PA.  In 1991, she became a founding member of the Hershey Historical Society, serving on the board for more than 20 years, including many as its board president.  Starting in their living room, Kathleen and her sister, Joanne, worked tirelessly to build Society membership to more than 1,800 members, a remarkable number in comparison to similar  organizations. After stepping down from the board in 2011, Kathleen continued to volunteer for the organization.  Her passion for expanding and organizing the Society photo collection led to her developing a much-needed search catalog for the images, a key contribution to the Society’s successful management of its ever-growing photo collection.

Kathleen is survived by her sister, Joanne Lewis Curry, of Hershey, seven nieces and nephews, fourteen great-nieces and nephews, and one great-great niece. Never having children of her own, Kathleen doted on the extended families of her siblings, loving each of them as her own.

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother, Dr. Edward B. Lewis, Jr.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30AM on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 359 West Areba Ave., Hershey.  The family will begin receiving guests at 10AM.  Interment will follow in the Hershey Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial contributions be made to St. Joan of Arc Church or the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society, 40 Northeast Drive, Hershey, 17033.