Lew, 92, died March 1, 2010. He was born May 23, 1917. He was a member of Evangelical Church when drafted into Civilian Public Service in 1942 from Bremen, Indiana. His occupation at that time was listed as teacher.

Lew was a member of the CPS-103 smokejumper unit during the 1944 season as well as working in soil conservation and as a mental hospital attendant in following years. He had nine training and three fire jumps that season. Lew spent 1946 in Darmstadt, Germany, with the American Friends Service building a neighborhood center.

Lew graduated from DePauw University with a degree in math and received his Master's from Syracuse University. Lew taught in Georgia and Indiana before moving to Parkville, Missouri in 1955. He taught mathematics at Park College and Maple Woods Community College before retiring in 1986.