Thomas M Lewin Obituary (1931 - 2017) - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Thomas M. Lewin, age 86 of Minneapolis, died December 13th. Preceded in death by wife Rhoda. Survived by children Ellen Lewin, Susan (James) Roth, Kate (Scott) Shamblott, and Jeffrey (Jennifer) Lewin. Very proud grandfather of Salomé, Amalya, Rachel, Max, Simon and Devra. Great-grandfather of Iris and Shulamit. Abba to Jayne White. Also survived by nieces, cousins, extended family and many friends. Survived by special friend Eileen Weizenbaum who recently brought joy back into his life. Tom was born April 23, 1931 in Berlin, Germany. He was sent to England in 1939. At the end of World War II, he traveled by ship to New York and then by train to Minneapolis where he was reunited with his father, Egon Lewin, who escaped Germany in 1940. Tom’s career in the family business, Automatic Alarm, Inc., began with his father’s death. Tom left his studies in Electrical Engineering at the U of M, building and managing the business until it was ultimately acquired by 3M, where he continued working until his retirement. Retirement included sharing with others his travels to many parts of the globe which he well documented with photographs and travel logs. He loved classical music, theater, skiing, trips to the Boundary Waters, photography, cooking, Jewish history and spending time with his family. In an era of social media, his one-on-one lunches with each of his children, their spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were his way of staying connected. His travel in recent years to eastern Europe resulted in the creation of a scholarship for teens to learn more about the Holocaust in memory of his grandmother, Recha Lewin, who died in 1943 in a cattle car en route to a Nazi death camp. Tom will be deeply missed. In a letter given to each of his children on Sunday at the family Hanukah party, Tom wrote, “Above all, never forget how important each of you are to each other and give voice to your feelings to each other. It is important to maintain those contacts and to let family members know you love them, respect them, and encourage them as they work their way through life…. I feel incredibly blessed…. I love each and every one of you and appreciate the love you have for me, too.” Funeral service, 11a.m. Friday, December 15, at TEMPLE ISRAEL, 2323 Fremont Avenue So., Minneapolis. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Temple Israel or Survivor Mitzvah Project at www.survivormitzvah.org. SHIVA 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Temple Israel.