Bishop returns to Orange to deliver eulogy for Bill Lewis

ORANGE, NJ — Bishop Reginald Jackson, the former pastor of St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church on Oakwood Avenue in Orange, returned Saturday, Feb. 25, to officiate at the funeral of former Orange City Council President William Lewis, who died Saturday, Feb. 18, at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark.

“Today, we come to celebrate the life of a brother who knew how to live,” Jackson began Saturday, Feb. 25. “My staff, who I pay, fussed with me this week. When I received the news that Bill Lewis had passed and the family wanted me to do the eulogy, they fussed and said: ‘Bishop, you’re in Phoenix. Sunday night, you’re supposed to fly to Valdosta, Ga., and begin your conferences and you’re talking about how you’re going to go to New Jersey; how are you going to do it and still have the energy for your conference?’ I reminded them that I pay y’all. But I also said to them: ‘Because Bill Lewis deserves it.’ Bill Lewis deserves me making the sacrifice to come to New Jersey to say a word at his celebration.”

Jackson went on to say that “sitting here during this service, I have been cracking up to myself about Bill Lewis.”

“There was only one Bill Lewis,” said Jackson. “Thank God there was only one Bill Lewis. There was nobody like Bill Lewis. … And there are very few people that have had a greater life of service than Bill Lewis.”

Jackson recounted Lewis’ record of serving in the U.S. Air Force; working for many years at AT&T and, most memorably, hearing “so many times that he was an engineer.”

“I said to him one time: ‘Bill why you always gotta keep reminding us?’ I said ‘We can’t forget it, because you keep reminding us,’ and he gave me some crazy line about reputation, but I just tuned it out, but there was only one,” said Jackson. “I served here at St. Matthew before being elected bishop for 31 years and, all the time I was in Orange, Bill Lewis was such an interesting figure. He met me when I was the president of the Board of Education and he was a member of the City Council. And I didn’t even know Bill Lewis well, but when he first ran, I supported him. He came and knocked on the door of my house and asked for my support and I supported him. I didn’t know anything about him. He was the only one that asked for my support and, since he asked, I did. And ever since then, I didn’t ask him, he kept giving me advice.”

Rodney Lewis stood and spoke about his father on behalf of his sister, Michele Lewis-Monteilh, and the other surviving family members, and said Jackson’s recollections about his father were right on point.

“But whatever it is you want to say about Bill Lewis, his heart was always in what he did and I’m not sure the city of Orange understands the loss it has suffered,” said Jackson. “In all the years I lived in Orange, I know of no public official who loved the city of Orange more than Bill Lewis. His heart was in Orange. He wore Orange on his sleeve.”

And Jackson said Lewis’ love for Orange continued even after retired or, “at least when he said he retired.”

“He still came to City Council meetings; still turned City Council meetings into a classroom,” said Jackson. “He kept trying to mentor and touch and shape the lives of those who followed him into public service. He just loved Orange.”

“Finally I just said ‘I give up.’ I said: ‘Bill, let’s just accept the fact that we going to disagree on almost everything, but we going to be the best of friends,’ and he said; ‘You’re finally learning,’” said Jackson. “But I want his family to know you are blessed, because you come from good stock. You have a legacy to fulfill. Bill Lewis leaves a treasure of wisdom, not only to this family, but to this city. He had this way of, even when you disagreed with him, he was not disagreeable. And that was the key. You couldn’t get upset, because he was so nice. He would tell you off with a smile on his face. Now, how you going to argue with that? But he actually gave wonderful advice.”

Jackson ended his eulogy with a simple yet profound observation of the man, his life and legacy.

“Bill Lewis has done something that many of us are not good at. Many of us are blessed to live lives of quantity; lives with many years, but Bill Lewis managed to live not only a life of quantity, over 80 years, but the measure of his life was, he lived a life of quality,” said Jackson. “It’s not how long you live, but it’s how well you live. One of the concerns that I have with many of our political leaders today is that too many of them want to impress. Bill Lewis didn’t want to impress. Bill Lewis wanted to impact and he impacted the life of this city and the life of its people and the life of its government and the life of his family. The city of Orange’s history cannot be written without finding the name of Councilman Bill Lewis.”

Lewis was born Nov. 9, 1932 in Newark to Russell Lewis and Edith Schenck and was a resident of Orange for more than 50 years. He was predeceased by his wife, Dr. Evelyn G. Lewis, in 2010, and is survived by his daughter, Michele Lewis-Monteilh and her husband, Richard; his son, Rodney S. Lewis, and his wife, Aaliya; three grandchildren, Kyle and Katherine Monteilh and Brendan T. Lewis; two sisters, Mary Pugh and Edith Lewis; and many nieces and nephews.

  Bill Lewis