Maggie Dean Lew's Obituary
Maggie Dean Lew (née Harrell)
August 2, 1918 – September 9, 2018
Born in Ravia, Oklahoma, the sixth of seven children of Elisha Alexander Harrell and Jessie May (Herrin) Harrell; she grew up in Enochs, TX with her brothers (Maxey, Montie, and E.A. Harrell) and sisters (Inez LaFevers, Dixie Tipton, and Alice Hale), and attended Bula High School and Texas Technical College in Lubbock. She moved to Visalia, California with her family in 1941, soon afterward relocating to San Francisco where she worked as a long-distance telephone operator in the Chinatown Exchange. During trips home, she met her husband Ralph who shared rides to Visalia with a mutual friend. They married in Seattle, WA on July 17, 1945, and returned to Ralph’s home in Oakland to live and raise their three children. Maggie Dean worked as a switchboard operator but devoted most of her time to her children and home, and later her grandchildren. When Ralph retired in 1971, she took up in-home sales, first for Avon and then for Tupperware, earning numerous awards. She retired when Ralph became ill in 1981, and remained in the family home after being widowed in 1987, with at least one of her descendants living with her thereafter. She was a devout member of the Church of Christ, first at the East Oakland congregation, then at the San Leandro congregation for many years, and finally at the Walnut Creek congregation. She was proud to have reached 100 years of age and confided that she felt she’d lived a good and happy life. She passed away peacefully at home on Sunday morning, surrounded by her beloved family.
Maggie Dean is predeceased by her husband Ralph Ginn Lew and her children Robert Eugene Lew and Terry Jessandra Morgan; she is survived by her son Ralph Lew Jr. and daughter-in-law Judy (Canter) Lew; grandchildren Michael Morgan and his wife Jaime Wissinger, Robert Lew Jr., Suzette Lew, Jamie Morgan, and Kellie Morgan Whiteside and her husband Johnny Whiteside; step-granddaughter Quinn Lew Coppola; her great-grandchildren Matthew Lew, Ariel Lew-McCuan, Jessandra Morgan, Alex Leonard, Lacie Whiteside, Cameron Whiteside, Connor Whiteside, Blaine Morgan, and Chloe Morgan; her great-great-granddaughter Novamae Morgan; and so many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who love her dearly.
Everyone will remember Maggie Dean as one of the most loving and nurturing people they ever knew, dedicated to her family, warm to their friends, and loving everyone she welcomed into her home. She leaves a hole in the world that can only be filled with our cherished memories.
What’s your fondest memory of Maggie?
What’s a lesson you learned from Maggie?
Share a story where Maggie's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Maggie you’ll never forget.
How did Maggie make you smile?