About Coach Lewis
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Dave Lewis was a Northfield resident for over 30 years. His entire professional career revolved around the care of children and their families. Dave was employed at the Children’s Seashore House in Atlantic City, and later at their Philadelphia facility from 1974 until 1998. He started as a physical therapist, and held several supervisory/administrative positions before being named Vice President of Patient Care Services. Dave was honored by his CSH peers by being awarded the Mary J. Gerace Award for Extraordinary Service in 1998. Following his tenure at CSH he worked for several years at the Voorhees Pediatric Facility, now known as Weisman’s Children’s Rehab Hospital as their Director of Patient Management.
In 2001 Dave changed careers becoming a teacher at the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District’s Alternative Program; a program for high risk high school students from Absegami and Oakcrest High Schools. At this time Dave also became the Head Coach of the Oakcrest Boys Varsity Basketball Team. During his years at Oakcrest the team went to the state playoffs 6 consecutive years and for the first time in the school’s history the basketball team became Cape Atlantic American Conference Champions.
Dave had also been an assistant basketball coach at Mainland Regional High school from 1984-85, 87-90 and 1998-2001. He was a volunteer with the Northfield All Sports Association for over 25 years coaching boys recreation and travel basketball, serving as commissioner for the 7-8 grade boys basketball program and coaching girls and boys t-ball and boys minor league baseball.
As a member of the Central United Methodist Church in Linwood for 15 years, Dave served as an usher and was on many committees. He was especially gratified by the work he did with the missions team, spending a week in Mississippi following hurricane Katrina helping to clean out and rebuild homes, and also assisting with worship services at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission and the Covenant House in Atlantic City. One of Dave’s goals was to travel with the church to Uganda to assist in the building of a children’s orphanage as part of the Watoto Children’s Mission. He was unable to achieve this dream following the relapse of his multiple myeloma.
Dave could be found almost every Monday night at the Northfield Community school playing basketball. He was an avid jogger, jogging 4-5 miles every day along the Northfield/Linwood bike path.
He will be forever missed by his family and friends, and has had a lasting impact on the lives of many students, athletes and others in the community.
