Charles Albert Lewis, Jr.

Charles (Charlie) Albert Lewis, Jr. died on May 4, 2026, at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC.

Charlie was the devoted and loving husband of his wife and life-partner, Martha, for 53 and a half years, who predeceased him on December 26, 2023, the 55th anniversary of their engagement. They spent almost 57 years together. They met during summer jobs in June 1967 at Strawbridge & Clothier in Wilmington, DE. Dating during college — Charlie at the College of Wooster, majoring in Chemistry and Martha at Brown University, majoring in Psychology - graduating in 1970 and very soon marrying on June 26th. They then moved to Chapel Hill, NC where Charlie earned his PhD in Biochemistry. Charlie's PhD thesis included work on aldehyde hydration and the inhibition of papain by peptide aldehydes. Concurrently, He was a member of the NC Army National Guard unit at the Raleigh-Durham Airport as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief from 1970 - 1976. Martha earned a Masters in Library Science during that time at UNC-CH.

A four-year post-doc in the Chemistry Department of the University in South Carolina, in Columbia, included becoming a member of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society and used 19F NMR to examine FdUMP - thymidylate synthetase, an enzyme targeted in chemotherapy, binary complexes and their interaction with several folate molecules. In November 1981, they moved to Libertyville, IL for Charlie's job at Abbott Laboratories, in Abbott Park, IL in the Diagnostics Division. His career there spanned 24 years, where he received awards for his research, including The ADD Cornerstone Award in 2000. During that time his R&D teams developed Abbott's first Free T4 assay, a Third Generation TSH assay and a Cortisol assay. Charlie had many cherished friends from his time at Abbott who worked with him and he mentored in assay development projects and he maintained contact over the years. Meanwhile, Martha worked in the Abbott Library and then earned her Masters and PhD degrees in Psychology at Northwestern University.

They returned to the Chapel Hill, NC area in 2005, where Charlie worked in his PhD advisor's lab using 'H NMR and elevated temperatures to study the uncatalyzed rates of many enzymatic reactions including one with a half-life of 2.3 billion years. These studies demonstrate the essential rate enhancements that enzymes provide to support the biochemistry of life processes. Martha continued working as a clinical psychologist until she retired in September 2014. Their careers brought them fulfillment and joy in helping others. Charlie continued his lab work through the early parts of the COVID pandemic. In 2022, they moved to Fearrington Village for a one story home and a nice porch for their cats to enjoy.

Charlie was interested in history, archaeology, paleontology, evolution, science, the environment, climate change, care for wild animals, and what our legacy would be for future generations. They also cared for a succession of 26 adopted rescue cats over their lifetimes together.

Charlie was also predeceased by his parents Charles Lewis in 1982 and Matilda Lewis in 2009 and his younger brother Peyton Lewis in 2023. Many Lewis cats also predeceased Charlie and Martha: Rebecca, Hawkeye, Trapper, Dish, Hot Lips, Tommy, Kroger, Chessie, Maia, Rita, Kin, Jimi, Phoebe, Forest, and Donna.

He is survived by his sister-in-law, Barbara Lewis of Wilmington, DE; cousin Bob (and Donna) Slade of Wake Forest, NC; stepbrother Pete (and Linda) Schroeder of Flagler Beach, FL; nieces Julia (and Andrew) Holt of Baltimore, MD and Heather (and Kevin) Broihier of Shaker Heights, OH; nephews Thor Schroeder of Wallingford, CT and Per (and Kim) Schroeder of Avon Lake, OH. Also surviving are the remaining Lewis cats: Maude, Eva, Goldeneye, Momcat, Lynley, Morse, Gemma, Fern, and Nicola.

Charlie requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Charles A. Lewis, Jr. endowed scholarship at the College of Wooster, 1189 Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691; Carolina Tiger Rescue 1940 Hanks Chapel Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312; Independent Animal Rescue P.O. Box 14232 Durham, NC 27709-4232; or an environmental or animal rescue organization of your choosing. Condolences may be made at www.donaldsonfunerals.com

Donaldson Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to serve the Lewis family.