Lewis H. Parks, 95, passed away Feb. 19 with family at his side at his home in Vero Beach.
The son of Ernest Albert and Juliane Marie Parks of Stoneham, Mass., he is survived by his son, Robert Parks of Tarpon Springs; his daughter, Nancy Camis of Largo; two granddaughters, Jessica Camis of Laurel, Md., and Lindsay Camis of Largo; two sisters Arline Weyler (98) of Newton, Mass., and Ruth Rooney (93) of Sterling, Mass.; and ten loving nieces and nephews and their families.
He was predeceased by his eldest sister, Eleanor Reynolds of Norton Mass.
Lewis graduated from Stoneham High School in 1932, Tufts College in 1936, and Harvard Law School in 1939. Later in life he acted as General Counsel for Tufts University.
He practiced law in Boston at Nutter, McLennan and Fish from 1939 until he retired in 1988 at the age of 75. He began in the corporate law department and eventually headed the probate department.
From 1943 to 1946 he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and then in the Judge Advocate General’s Office.
He returned to active duty in 1950 and was based at the Pentagon.
It was in Washington D.C. that he met Vera Estelle Brastow and married her on Feb. 2, 1952. Several years later they settled in Wellesley, Mass., where they raised their children and lived 36 years.
Lewis was a member of the Wellesley Board of Selectmen and also served as Chairman. Since the 1940’s, he and his family spent summers in Chatham and Orleans. During the 1950s and 60s, Lewis was an active member of the Arlington Friends of the Drama.
He enjoyed theater and movies, and singing remained a lifelong passion. He entertained all with song and rhyme, even in his last days.
Golf was another of his passions, and he played regularly into his 96th year. He was a longtime member of Eastward Ho! Country Club in Chatham and The Moorings Club in Vero Beach.
He often visited his childhood and lifelong friend in Freedom N.H. He continued with some legal/Board of Directors work through 2009. Lewis will be interred next to Vera at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellesley, on Feb. 27 after a family service.
A memorial celebration of his life will be held for family and friends in the late spring in Chatham.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Hillsdale College at www.hillsdale.edu or to another academic institution.
For online guestbook gfdoherty.com Arrangements by George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home Wellesley, MA.
