Passages: Robert (Bob) Lewis, Angeles Chapter Sierra Singles Founder

Robert (Bob) Lewis, a long-time dedicated Sierra Club member, died of Pulmonary Fibrosis on Thursday December 13th, 2018 at Your Place care facility in Thousand Oaks, CA. He was born in Millburn, New Jersey, October 15th 1931, and his surving family lives in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. His cremains will be placed in the family plot at Abington Hills Cemetery, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.

Bob came out to California in the 1950s. He settled in Los Angeles, attended Cal State LA and received a degree in Engineering. Bob worked for Litton Engineering for a while and then worked as a Computer Education Consultant. He also worked for the Veterans Administration in the same capacity.

A passionate outdoorsman, Bob had led backpacking, hiking and biking trips for almost forty years. He was largely responsible for founding the Sierra Singles Section (1968) of the Los Angeles Chapter and held Committee positions from 1970-2008. He received two Sierra Club awards: Outings Service Award in 1998 and a Special Award in 2008. He developed the Sierra Singles History Project - a database of events and leaders from 1968-2007. Branching out on his own, he created the Singles Outing Club that included car camping trips all through California and walks and social gatherings at his home, where he'd serve fondue suppers and a great broiled flank steak.

When he moved to Thousand Oaks, he continued to bring folks together with walks in the Conejo Valley and social gatherings at restaurants. A productive booklet on Easy Walks in The Conejo was researched and published by Bob, as were other guides on restaurants and elder care facilities. He started to slow down on his outdoor activities because of health issues, but kept actively attending seminars and doing volunteer work for Thousand Oaks Council on Aging, updating their database. His inability to walk without falling necessitated a move to a Board & Care facility in the last year of his life.

Participants and friends from the Singles Outings Club, Easy Walks, Sierra Club and Community groups, will remember him for his enthusiasm and dedication to whatever job he was involved with and introducing folks to his big passion - the outdoors. We will remember him for his fun trips with pleasant memories.