Dr Thomas Henry Christopher Lewis

1923–2010
Dr Christopher Lewis passed away on 9 September. He is survived by Helga, his wife of 52 years, their four children, and seven grandchildren. Their younger daughter, Andrea, is a family physician in Sidney, BC.

Chris was born in London, England, where his father, Sir Thomas Lewis, was a well-known researcher and teacher in the early studies of cardiac disease. Sir Thomas spent many years studying cardiograms, including many studies that he did on the young Chris Lewis while learning the meaning of their appearance.

During Chris’s youth, the Lewis family lived in a rural area near London where both parents took delight in teaching their family about all manner of natural things, especially fish, birds, and plants. 

When he was still young, Chris displayed a natural artistic talent, es­pecially doing pencil sketches, particularly sketches of humans. This was encouraged. As he was maturing, there was some thought that he might decide to follow this talent professionally, but Chris independently de­cided to study medicine.  

He began his medical studies at Oxford where he also continued his sketching and water colors. After completing his first MB, he did his clinical studies at the University College Hospital in London. When he obtained his British qualifications, he completed his mandatory army service in Austria, going first to Karlsruhe and then to Vienna. 

On deciding to come to Canada, he obtained positions to complete his specialty training at Sunnybrook Hospital, then Toronto Western Hospital, and finally the chief residency at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).

Chris was then appointed to the staff in the Department of Medicine at VGH and the University of British Columbia. Interestingly, his initial of­fice was located at 1665 West Broadway, now the address of the BC Medical Association. Aside from his own practice, his responsibilities included developing and managing a rehabilitation service at VGH. That service ultimately extended to include pa­tients at both the Brock Fahrni Pavilion of Shaughnessy Hospital and the George Derby facility in Burnaby, which housed many military retirees.

He enjoyed life in the Lower Main­land and at the family cottage on Salt Spring Island, where much of his free time was spent sketching, painting water colors, and gardening. 

In the late 1970s there was a significant change in the direction of his artistic expression when he began doing sculpture. By the end of the dec­ade, sculptures were essentially the only artwork he did. He began studying at Capilano College and stopped all his painting. He likened this fo­cused activity to developing a second career. 

Nevertheless, he continued his medical practice until 1990, despite being busy sculpting in clay, stone (Figure 1), bronze, and wood. In addition to his sculpture, he made two bronze relief portraits during this per­iod, one of his mother, which is display­ed in England, and a commissioned piece of Dr Brock Fahrni (Figure 2). 

During this very creative period, Chris was involved in shows at the Robson Square Media Centre and the BC Pavilion, as well as with a juried traveling exhibition seen throughout the interior of BC. One of his life-sized sculptures was accepted in the Capilano College Sculpture Collection in 1996. The breadth of his artistic abilities was remarkable.
—Graham Clay, MD
Vancouver