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James W. Davis Jr.

James W. Davis Jr., 68, husband of the late Rev. Joyce Barton-Davis, died at Sinai Hospital April 21 from a brain tumor. He had been ill only a short time. His funeral was at the family's church, Metropolitan Baptist, in Washington, D.C., April 29.

Davis and Joyce Barton were married in August 1989. She died from cancer in October 2001 and was posthumously ordained by Bishop Felton Edwin May. They had no children, but Davis had two children from an earlier marriage.

Davis was retired from the National Security Council. For the past several years he worked as a driver for the Kennedy Krieger Institute's PACT, which he did until his death.

Survivors include his daughter Kristy Frizzell of Ft. Washington, a son Kirk Davis of Washington, D.C., and two grandchildren.

Condolences may be sent to Kristy Frizzell, 3200 Steed Road, Ft. Washington, MD 20744.

The Rev. Edward B. Lewis

The Rev. Edward B. Lewis, 84, a retired clergy member of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, died April 12 in Silver Spring. Memorial services were held May 5 at Cresaptown UMC where he lived as a child and heard his call to ministry, and May 7 at Mt. Vernon Place UMC in Washington, D.C.

Lewis served as a pastor in the Baltimore-Washington Conference from 1948 to 1986 when he retired. He was superintendent of the Washington East District from 1974 to 1976. He also served the (United) Methodist churches: East-West Highway, Union, Kensington, Mt. Vernon Place in Washington, Rockville, and twice at Capitol Hill from 1960 to1969 and 1978 to 1986.

While at Union, 1949-1958, the Washington Post recounted a story of his being called upon when Donald Seaman, a young Air Force sergeant, was threatening in 1956 to jump from the 10th floor of a building. With firemen and the press looking on, Lewis tried to coax the man down. As the man began to fall, Lewis and Fire Chief Elmer Stein leaped to grab him. 'For a few moments, (Seaman) dangled 10 stories above the street as the powerful fireman and the slightly built minister hung on to his writhing form,' wrote Bill Gold in the Post. 'Then a dozen hands hauled the boy inside while he fought with the blind fury of 10 men to escape their grasp. '

Lewis said afterward, 'Mr. Stein and I needed a lot of help tonight, didn 't we? But when we needed (God), he was by our side.'

Lewis was educated at American University and Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

While at St. Paul's UMC in Kensington, from 1958-1960, he added 600 members. One of his greatest accomplishments, in his own regard, was the merger of four churches that became Capitol Hill UMC during his first appointment there. He led the merger of the 158-year-old Trinity church with Waugh, North Carolina Avenue and Wilson Memorial churches that created the 1,210-member congregation.

He was also acting chaplain of the U.S. Senate in 1969. That year Washingtonian magazine named him as one of the city's best preachers.

After his retirement, he remained active at Mount Vernon Place UMC, and helped broker the agreement to share the venue with the burgeoning Chinese Community Church, on whose international board he had served in the 1950s.

Survivors include a sister and eight nieces and nephews.

Condolences may be sent to his sister, Beth Emerson, 1270 Cox Road, Huntingtown, MD 20639.