Final Salute

One of Arizona’s long-standing, soft spoken leaders has died. Delbert R. Lewis: media entrepreneur, cotton farmer, health care supporter and philanthropist passed away on May 24, 2023, just 16 days before his 97th birthday.

Del was born in California on June 9,1926. His family moved to Arizona when he was two. His dad and two uncles opened an auto repair shop called the Blue Diamond Garage in Downtown Phoenix. The next year the whole family homesteaded on a few hundred acres near what is now the corner of Scottsdale road and the Carefree Highway. They lived in a small hut. The winter was hard, the summer was overwhelming and the distance back and forth to the Blue Diamond was almost impossible. Decades later, Del said it was the taxes that caused the family to move back to Phoenix to a small house at 3rd Street and Southern. Time passed and the Depression forced the family to move again to Florence Arizona where his Dad could find work. His parents separated and he came back to South Phoenix with his mom.

Del graduated from Phoenix Union High School when he was 17. WW2 was raging and he and some friends joined the Navy. He was sent to the South Pacific Island of Tinian to be a SeaBee, and build everything from barracks to runways, all while under air attack. Del actually watched as the Enola Gay took flight from Tinian to Hiroshima. The atomic age was born. Just weeks later Delbert and the SeaBees were on the Island of Japan rebuilding roads and buildings that Allied bombers had destroyed.

After months of reconstruction work he got back to Florence Arizona where he met a lovely young woman named Jewell, who just happened to be the daughter of Senator Ernest McFarland. The sweethearts both went to the University of Arizona, and after graduation both moved to Washington DC. They wanted to get married but the Senator said not until Jewell earned a master’s degree. She did and he said yes. Stars of the political elite, from senators to justices attended the wedding. His now father-in-law asked Del if he would consider moving back to Arizona to manage his cotton farm near Florence. The newlyweds agreed. Del came to love farming and was a quick learner. Over the years he was successful, not just in agriculture but also in politics. He worked on the Senator’s campaigns and when they lost the election to Barry Goldwater in 1952, McFarland suggested they use his knowledge and connections to seek a license for a television station. The Lewises jumped on the idea. There were suits and fights and network discussions, but in the end they were awarded Phoenix KTVK Channel 3 and ABC. Del used his engineering talent to draw up the plans for the station and eventually became its President and General Manager. All this while running the cotton business. Over the years the Lewis children became owners and managers as well.

Del made time to serve on the Good Samaritan Hospital Board and many other community organizations. He was inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1997. The Lewises led the foundation to rebuild the old Orpheum Theater. In April of 2003 Jewell Lewis died. Later, Del married Sharron, and together, they have actively carried on the Lewis legacy of philanthropy and civic stewardship through continued support of the arts, education, healthcare and animal welfare.

Delbert Lewis is survived by his wife Sharron; children Kara Lewis (Fritz Aspey), Bill Lewis (Rick Underwood), John Lewis (fiancé Kelly), Delbert Lewis, Jr. (Heather). Grandchildren: Chris, Hailey, Austin, Preston, Julia, Jared, Makenna; nephews Jim and Gary Brandt. Predeceased: Jewell Lewis; daughter Leah Lewis; sister Louise Brandt; parents Geraldine Gorham and Clarence Lewis; grandson Jonathan Celaya; nephew Allan Brandt. A celebration of the life of Delbert R. Lewis will be held Thursday, June 1, 4:00 p.m., at the Heard Museum, 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Arizona Humane Society, azhumane.org.

Posted online on May 26, 2023

Published in The Arizona Republic