Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Witt, William Lewis, Sr. June 9, 2022 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Robert Woolfitt http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00034.html#0008401 January 9, 2023, 4:34 pm Virginian-Pilot July 3, 2022 W. Lewis Witt of Chesapeake, 79, passed peacefully in his home surrounded by loved ones on June 9, 2022. Lewis was born in 1942, to the late Robert B. Witt and Joyce L. Witt in Norfolk (Ocean View), VA. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Judith White Witt, as well as his children, William L. Witt, Jr. (Bridgette), Jane W. Payne (Stephen), and Amy W. Folkes (Grey), his grandchildren William L. Witt III, Brianna M. Witt, Emily J. Witt, Catherine S. Crane, Christopher M. Schuster (Ricardo), Matthew T. Payne, Daniel R. Folkes, Stradford G. Folkes III, Sarah B. Folkes, and great-grandson Tucker J. Crane, his siblings Joyce B. Witt of Virginia Beach, Lucy W. Farrell of Salem, VA, R. Lawrence Witt of Salem, VA, Mary W. Scott of Norfolk, VA, and Tucker B. Witt of Gloucester, VA, numerous nieces and nephews, and predeceased by his brother Robert C. Witt. Lewis was the owner and founder of Inner-View, Ltd. a Chesapeake, VA utility contracting company founded in 1974. He introduced to the Hampton Roads area sewer inspection via a closed-circuit television camera system. This company was in operation from 1974 until 2020, when Lewis retired. He earned the Small Business of the Year Awards from the City of Chesapeake Chamber of Commerce and the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Mid-Atlantic Contractor of the Year from the American Public Works Association, and Contractor of the Year from the Hampton Roads Utility Heavy Contractors Association (HRUHCA). Lewis served as president and was one of the founding members of the Tidewater Utility Contractors' Association (now known as HRUHCA). Lewis's contributions to the success of HRUHCA as a safety and advocacy group for the local utility contracting industry earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Lewis was the key contributor in the development of Coastal Virginia Bank and was chairman of the board for Coastal. He later served on the board of Bank of Hampton Roads and Xenith Bank. He was very active in the community as a member and former president of the Chesapeake Rotary Club, past president of the Great Bridge Columbian Club and Ryan Club of Norfolk. He served on numerous boards of directors including the Chesapeake Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, and the Virginia Symphony. He was chairman of Paint Your Heart Out and Rotary International. Lewis was active in the Chesapeake Jubilee start-up and was also instrumental in building the Great Bridge Waterway Foundation project. His faith and desire to support the Catholic Church led Lewis to many of his service contributions. He donated parking site clearing services to Prince of Peace Catholic Church and utility installation and repair services to St. Pius Catholic Church. He is also a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, a group with legendary history whose current mission is to serve the Catholic Church by carrying out acts of charity that make the operations that maintain the Christian presence in the Holy Land possible. He served as president for 12 years of St. Mary's Cemetery Board, where he oversaw the construction of a new mausoleum and columbarium. Lewis attributed a great deal of credit for his successes in life to the Catholic school education he was fortunate to receive. He was recognized as a Norfolk Catholic Distinguished Alumni from the class of 1960. He was on the board of Norfolk Catholic High School when they made the decision to move from Norfolk to Virginia Beach. He was co-chair of the fundraising committee that raised over one million dollars to facilitate that move, served as chairman of the building committee that oversaw the construction of the school, and later, the construction of the Media and Fine Arts wings of the school. He also served on the school's foundation board and supported CHS through donations and in-kind contributions. Through his service (both as President and member) of the Ryan Club, a Catholic Businessman's organization based in Norfolk, Lewis participated in the development of the Catholic Campus Ministry at Old Dominion University. The Ryan Club currently provides financial support to all the Catholic grade schools in Hampton Roads. Lewis served on the Board of McMahon Parater Foundation, which supports and enhances the future of schools throughout the Catholic Diocese of Richmond primarily by providing tuition assistance, enhancing academic programs and resources, and increasing professional development opportunities for teachers, and their Tidewater Leadership Gifts Committee to aid in their ongoing drive to raise $15 million in support of that mission. He was also on the finance committee for St. Matthews Catholic Church. For Lewis, the least important measurement of his service efforts is the dollar value. The most reliable compass for service is how many people's lives are bettered by your efforts. Making a difference represents the most perfect goal because it is perpetually achievable, yet there is always more to be done. There will be a Christian wake service held on Wednesday, July 6th at 6:00 PM at HD Oliver Funeral Home, 1501 Colonial Ave, Norfolk, VA 23517. His funeral service will be held at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 455 Sandra Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 on Thursday, July 7th at 9:00 AM. Burial will be private at a later date. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/norfolkcity/obits/w/witt6194nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/vafiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb