Freddie Lewis
On July 26th, 2016, Frederica Lewis passed peacefully away, having lived a long and wonderful life filled with family, friends, accomplishments, and adventures. Frederica Nanette Levin Lewis known by her expanding family and vast array of friends as "Freddie," she was born December 27, 1912, to Elsie (Kahn) and Joseph E. Levin. Quickly recognized as a musical prodigy, Freddie possessed remarkable gifts as a pianist, composer, and singer. She attended Galileo High School and went on to graduate from U.C. Berkeley in 1933 with a degree in Music. In 1935, she married Marvin E. Lewis, a renowned trial attorney and City Supervisor, often described as the "Father of BART." Preceded in passing by her beloved brother, L.K. Lloyd and his wife, Harriet, Freddie leaves two children, Joelle Benioff (Russell, of blessed memory) and Marvin K. Lewis (Andrea). Remembered as a loving, caring, interested, and interesting grandmother and great grandmother, she leaves five grandchildren, Marc Benioff (Lynne), Julie Young (Adam), Jill Petrov (Alex), Jason Lewis (Lori), and Alison Lewis, and nine great grandchildren, Zoe Young, Max Young, Leia Benioff, Ruby Benioff, Remy Petrov, Hana Petrov, Nick Petrov, Hayley Lewis, and Nathaniel Lewis. She is also lovingly remembered by her niece, Karen Wolff, and two nephews, Jeff and Kenny Lloyd, as well as by her long-time caregivers and friends, Moniet Balais and Maria Ursal. After Marvin passed away, Freddie was blessed with a special and enduring friendship with Irving Sugarman.
Early in life, Freddie became an accomplished pianist who sang and wrote many songs. With her virtuoso talents as a pianist, her renditions of such pieces as McDowell's "Ode to a Wild Rose" and Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" clearly captured the brilliance of these composers and will always resonate in the memories of those who were fortunate enough to hear Freddie play. One of her greatest passions in life was her bridge game. A Bronze Life Master who played in countless accredited Bridge Tourneys across the United States, she played bridge all of her life as did her grandmother, mother, and father. Freddie taught the game to her daughter, Joelle, who will always be grateful for the hours of training and the hours of wonderful memories playing bridge with her. Freddie was also a great support, adviser, and campaign manager for Marvin, having run all of his campaigns very successfully. Surely her song, "Marvin Lewis is the Man to Vote For," written for one of his supervisorial campaigns, tipped the scales in his favor. Always surrounded by countless friends who deeply adored her, Freddie is also remembered as someone who loved to entertain and give fabulous parties. She was also a renowned collector of recipes, and her popovers were nothing short of legendary. A member of Lake Merced Golf and Country Club since 1945, Freddie was a terrific golfer. She was a dancer extraordinaire as well, and when she and Marvin waltzed in Vienna, all of the other dancers would stop and watch. Those years of dancing lessons with Arthur Murray certainly paid off! Freddie truly cared about the community and the welfare of others, and she served as a volunteer at Shriners Hospital in the '50's. In 1983, Grandma lovingly wrote the background music for "Flapper" an Atari arcade game developed by her grandson Marc. Freddie had an engaging and captivating personality, with an attitude on life that was exceptionally positive and contagious. When faced with challenges, she would simply say, "Of course! No problem! I can do it easily, and so can you!" Always with a smile on her face, Freddie looked to the future and never dwelt on the past. As her brother L.K. loved to say, "There's only one Freddie!" She wrote a number of songs with Edna Fisher, and Freddie's most famous piece is titled, "Darling, It's Ecstasy." When Freddie and Marvin would enter the Ballroom at the Fairmont Hotel, the Ernie Heckscher Orchestra would always play "Ecstasy." Well, Freddie darling, beloved matriarch of our family, it was ecstasy for all of us to have you in our lives. We miss you dearly. Private services will be held by the family, and in lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.