Vincent P. Lewis, Lt. Col. Ret. (1918-2020)

     Vincent Paul Lewis, Lieutenant Colonel USAF (Ret), 101 years old, and a 58 year resident of Hershey, died November 6, 2020 at Masonic Village.  Vincent was born November 29, 1918 in Minersville, Schuylkill County, PA to Benjamin C. Lewis, a coal miner and Margaret L. (Brown) Lewis at their family home on Schaeffers Hill.  Vince, 2nd generation Irish, attended St Vincent’s Primary School in Minersville and graduated from St Patrick’s Catholic High School (now Nativity BVM), in Pottsville in May 1937.  After school Vince worked as a truck driver in the coal mines and on the PA turnpike tunnels before enlisting in the Army in October 1940 before World War II was declared.
     Vincent was a career US Air Force officer and pilot as he initially joined to become a fighter pilot. After getting his Army Air Corps Aviator’s wings in 1943, he was assigned instead to heavy bombers and became qualified on the Consolidated B24 Liberator multi-engine bomber. He earned Command Pilot’s wings in the 485th Bomber (HVY) Group, 15th Air Force in WWII as he participated from Tunisia, North Africa in the invasion of Italy in March 1944 and the D-Day Normandy invasion in June 1944. Flying out of Verona, Italy airbase on July 20, 1944, on his 33rd combat air mission over enemy lines, his ‘Briny Marlyn’ B24 (air formation name ’Blue Echo’) was shot down by ME-109’s over Conegliano, northern Italy. He was injured, but kept flying the severely damaged B24 and he was the last of his 10-man crew to bail out. For these actions, he received the Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross medals.  For the next 5 months, he led his crew and other Allied military personnel, escaping through enemy positions out of Italy and Yugoslavia. Finally they were rescued by a night-flight back to safety at Barrie, Italy airbase.
     Vince or ‘VP’ returned to Denver, CO, USA before VE Day in 1945 where he married 2nd Lieutenant Miriam ‘Lee’ Savage, a US Army Nurse from Fayetteville, Brown Co, OH. After a 25 year US Air Force career as a highly decorated pilot and veteran with tours in AL, AR, CO, KS, AK, TN, WI, VA and an overseas tour in Tokyo, Japan.  He, Lee and 9 children eventually retired at Olmstead AFB Middletown, PA on May 1, 1965 — the same base where he enlisted years earlier. Vince completed a second career at New Cumberland Depot in 1981 as Chief of the Catalog Data Activity, which kept track digitally of all DoD replacement parts. His knowledge of computers resulted in his self-taught Basic programming skills even filing his tax returns directly to the IRS in the 1980’s before today’s e-File. After Lee’s death, he began retirement that included his 2nd marriage in 1983 to Janice Slagle, a Nurse Mgr at Hershey Medical Center. They enjoyed travel across the country, children’s marriages, 23 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren; and, a new hobby with pleasure boats on Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay.   Support to Catholic education also was central to his belief of a better future.
      Surviving Vincent are his wife Janice of 37 years; his sons: Vincent (Susan) of San Rafael, CA, WO2(Ret) Dennis of San Angelo, TX, LTC(Ret) Stephan (Jan) of Gettysburg, PA, Martin (Nancy) of Gloucster, OH and Timothy (Kathleen) of Middletown, PA; his daughters: M. Kathy (LTC(Ret) James) Filson of Boca Raton, FL, Jean (James) Walmer of Three Springs, PA, Patricia Ellermann of Lakeland, FL, Sharon (Elvin) Shilling of Fredericksburg, PA; step-daughter Kimberly Holmes of Elizabethtown, PA.  Also married are 16 of his 23 grandchildren who have 20 of his great-grandchildren living around the country.
     Preceding Vincent in death are his first wife, Lee; his parents; younger sister Catharine Mary; grandson, Matthew; maternal grandparents from Ireland with whom he was close as a young boy; daughter-in-law Lynn; son-in-law Bradford; 7 paternal aunts/uncles and 6 maternal aunts/uncles. 
     There will be a visitation at the Hoover Funeral and Crematory, 88 Lucy Ave. in Hershey on Friday, November 13 from 10-11AM.  Mass and Christian burial will follow at 11:30AM in St Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 359 W. Areba Avenue, Hershey (where Vincent and family attended for 58 years).  Burial with full military honors will follow at Ft. Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. 
     The family requests no flowers, but rather donations to the American Cancer Society or the charity of choice.
Send condolences via the online guestbook at www.hooverfuneralhome.com

---