James Edwin Lewis,(Ph.D.), age 73, of St. Petersburg, FL, passed away at home on December 16, 2022, from Stage IV, Renal Cell Carcinoma. Jim is survived by his wife of 50 years, Barbara; a daughter, Laura, and her husband, Matt, and their darling two-year-old daughter, Ella; a son, David, and his wife, Aislinn.
Jim attended DeMatha High School where he graduated Salutatorian of his class. He was a member of the National Honor Society, the Oratorical Society, and the editorial staff of the school newspaper, “Stagline.” Winning the Quill and Scroll Award led to a summer internship at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, where he edited papers written by staff.
Jim entered the University of Maryland, as a math major and later switched to psychology. In 1975 Jim earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Catholic University and spent his life advocating for children.
Jim excelled in the field of Neuropsychology and used his love of statistics to conduct research, while maintaining a successful private practice. Jim developed and taught, for 23 years, the first Neuropsychology Program in the Washington D. C. Area.
Courts in Southern Maryland and surrounding areas relied on Jim’s expert testimony to form judgments on the most serious Child Welfare cases. When he saw a wrong, he sought to make it right.
Jim understood that lack of education on brain trauma of young children was a root cause of some of the failures of the Child Welfare System. He worked with Florida Rep. Chris Latvala on Jordan’s Law. He provided the language in the Law on traumatic brain injury of children under the age of 6, a centerpiece of the legislation.
During his internship in Miami, Jim and Barbara developed a love of snorkeling. They spent many overnights at Long Key State Park, sleeping at the water’s edge. Jim was a devoted family man, who loved to cook for loved ones.
Jim was drawn to the Carmelite contemplative prayer life. As a Lay Carmelite, Jim was the director of Formation for three years at the Carmelite Monastery in Port Tobacco, Maryland. One fellow Carmelite describes his experience of Jim like this: “One always felt that Jim and Our Lady were walking together, hand in hand, as She daily led him up Mount Carmel. Eventually she led him to Union with the Divine Son and to his everlasting home.”
