LOWELL, Mass. – It is with great sadness that our family announces the passing of Gail Anne Lewis of Lowell, Mass. on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, who passed away peacefully surrounded by family after a brief illness at age 70.

Gail was born Jan. 11, 1953, in Portland, the youngest child of Etta J. and Russell S. Robbins. She lived in Scarborough in her early years before moving with her family to Farmington where she completed her secondary education graduating from Mount Blue High School. During her high school years, she helped in the family business, a longtime popular restaurant in Farmington, the Star Lite Drive-In.

Gail inherited an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and flowers from her mother. She used this knowledge to provide extra income for her family by contracting to write a book on the topic of wild plants of the north-east.

She learned the art of vegetable gardening at the side of her father who was a master at the craft. During the lean early years of the ’70s and ’80s she grew a large garden with the help of her husband and children to provide food for the family. She worked tirelessly to harvest and preserve the garden’s bounty. Her children fondly remember the bottomless cauldron of “Harvest Stew” that materialized each fall and seemed to last all winter.

Throughout her life, Gail was always an advocate for healthy living. It is this advocacy that motivated her to open a health food store in downtown Winthrop which she owned and operated with her husband.

Gail was a loving mother who went through extraordinary effort to make sure her children were able to succeed in life. She believed strongly in the importance of a good education and felt the only way to achieve that result was to teach her children personally. She home schooled nearly all her children for some period of time during their K-12 school years, some all the way through high school graduation.

In her late-30s Gail applied for and was excited to be accepted to a degree program at the University of Maine at Farmington. She completed her degree course work, while pregnant with and later caring for her newborn youngest child. Despite these challenges, she proudly graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology in 1994.

She went on to earn a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Southern Maine in 1998. With these credentials she was able to provide mental health care to people suffering with a variety of issues for over 20 years. At the time of her passing she was actively pursuing her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Saybrook University in California.

In later years she moved to Denver, Colo. to support her youngest daughter’s education at a college in that area. She also moved to California for a time to assist in her daughter’s job search before returning to New England for the final two years of her life.

She was a lifelong Beatles fan. Her favorite member of the band (and love of her life) was Paul McCartney. In recent years she excitedly attended Paul McCartney concerts in Boston and New York.

Gail was an avid reader, loved Giraffes, and collected mid-century glasswork. She played piano which she learned at the side of her grandmother, Grace Robbins.

She is survived by her brother, Gary Russell Robbins (and wife, Diane); her former husband, Wayne F. Lewis and their five children, Aaron Shaw Lewis (and wife, Laura), Brian Earl Lewis (and wife, Jennifer), Bethany Grace Lewis, Robert William Lewis, Rebekah Anne Lewis; as well as one grandchild, Samuel; along with two nieces Kathrine and Abigail; and several cousins.

She was predeceased by her parents; and a son, Benjamin David Lewis.

On Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m. friends and family are welcome to attend Gail’s funeral service and celebration of her life at the Henderson Memorial Baptist Church in Farmington. She will be laid to rest next to her parents and grandparents at Riverside Cemetery in Farmington, following the funeral service.

Arrangements: Cremation by Casper Funeral Services, South Boston, Mass. Interment by Wiles Remembrance Centers, Farmington.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gail’s memory to The Neely House at the Cam Neely Foundation – camneelyfoundation.org/donate

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