Reginald W. Lewis, Sr.

Reggie was very much the free spirit all his life. Long before X-Box or Play Station, he and his lifelong friend Leroy played tag, kickball and dodge ball, the physical activities, where at the end of a day you were sweaty and dirty. Fun was measured by how bad you smelled during those times. Reggie had the more vivid imagination when the two built battlefields with hundreds of little green soldiers they purchased from the five-and-dime store. Along with the battlefield, Reggie, at six years old, always wanted to introduce smoke and fire into the action. That didn't go over so well when his Mom or Leroy's would come running when they saw the fires in the backyard.  While growing up in Washington, D.C., Reggie enjoyed many summer vacations in North Carolina and Philadelphia. He later moved to Annapolis in his teenage years where he came to love the water and beaches. He could now ride his bicycle to the harbor to visit the specialty shops and watch the boats come and go. He later graduated from Annapolis High in 1974 and enrolled at the University of Maryland where he majored in computer science.  After graduating, in 1978 he found a job in information technology in D.C.  He quickly worked his way into an IT Program Manager's position thereafter.  Reggie would later raise his skill level to become a highly successful Technical Writer by writing proposals and winning government contracts for nationally known firms.  Basic, Fortran, Java, C/C++, Oracle, SQL, Cobol, mainframe computers; he knew it all!He was also instrumental in opening doors for many others through his contacts in information technology by hiring, resumè building, whatever was needed!In 1980,  he met the love of his life, Jerianne, who was by his side until the end.  They had a fantastic life together along with his son and namesake, Reginald Jr., who attended private school until they moved back to the Annapolis area when he began high school. And his longtime friend, Leroy has also been there along the way. Reggie controlled much of his professional destiny by becoming an independent IT consultant for many years. His last professional employer was PSI International in Northern Virginia before becoming ill.   Reggie is survived by his wife Jerianne; his son Reggie Jr.; father, James Swales; nephew Londell Swales; and a host of other relatives and friends. Pre-deceased are his mother Geraldine; sister Pamela Swales; and nephew David Mitchell. And now we must say goodbye to Reggie Sr., too, but at the same time, be thankful for the fun times he gave us. Honest, straightforward, and soft-spoken, Reggie was born on January 15, 1956, and departed while in his wife's arms the morning of Valentine's Day, February 14, 2016 at the age of 60. Thankfully he was able to celebrate his birthday with his family. We will miss him immensely.