Nathan Lewis Bruschi Graduates Dartmouth 2010

Nathan Lewis Bruschi, oldest son of Damian Bruschi and Cathy Lewis Bruschi, graduated Cum-Lauda from Dartmouth on June 14, 2010. Family members that were able to attend the ceremony were his parents, Dylan Lewis Bruschi (younger brother), Connie Lewis Reitz, Susan Lewis Fitzgerald, Mike Fitzgerald and Cathy Reitz. Nathan is looking into options in joining Special Forces in the Navy.

Happy Holidays 2009

The 2009 year brought much change to the Fitzgerald family. In early January Mike accepted a new position in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and began his new job with Dallas Airmotive on February 2. Sue stayed behind in South Carolina with three dogs, the house on the market, and completed her last few months with South Carolina before retirement. Sue and the dogs were able to visit Mike, who was living in our 39’ diesel motor home, during Spring Break in search of a new home. Sue officially resigned from her job and retired from the South Carolina Retirement System on June 6, 2009. It’s incredible to think that she has been in the teaching/educational field for 30 years. While on another house hunting trip to Dallas a purchase offer came in on their South Carolina home on July 4th. Things moved rather quickly with the closing of one home, building of another home in Trophy Club, Texas, and moving the entire house and family 1,000 miles. Although Sue retired from SC, she wasn’t ready to idle at home and accepted a position as an Upper School Librarian in a private school in Dallas. The Fitzgerald family is still adjusting to the city life in the DFW area with each day. They were able to visit with Sue’s cousins Fran and Larry Nichols and family over the Thanksgiving holiday. They joined Mike’s sister, Suzi and her family, who only live 10 miles away, for a wonderfully festive Thanksgiving celebration. Mike and Sue have a large house and welcome everyone who might be in the DFW area to stop and visit.

Connie and Bill Reitz – Although Connie has retired from teaching, she continues to work as an assistant in the Junior High School. Connie and Bill continue to live on Wilson Hill in Massena, NY
Cathy Reitz – Congratulations on Cathy’s purchase to her new home this year. Cathy continues to work as a Speech and Hearing therapist in a public school and it seems owning a new home has kept her very busy.
Keith Reitz – Is working on his Internship in Psychiatry in Brooklyn, NY

Bill and Judy Lewis – Bill took a new position and relocated back to New Jersey. Judy continues to work in Tulsa and will follow Bill when the house sells.
Andrew Lewis – Andrew and fiancée Joanna have moved to the Raleigh Durham area where Andrew is working on his Internship in Radiology. Andrew and Joanna have set a wedding date in 2010.
Cara Lewis – Cara has been doing well as a lawyer in the Washington D.C. area.

John and Kim Lewis – John has started his own business while still working for his company so he’s been rather busy this season. Kim loves working in a private school. Both still enjoy the great benefits of living in Austin, Texas.

Cathy and Damian Bruschi – The Bruschi family continues to travel between New York and Florida but spending much time in the Sunshine State. Their business continues to keep everyone very busy.
Nathan Bruschi – Nathan had a great year studying overseas in both Spain and England. His parents were able to visit Nathan while he attended Oxford in the spring. Nathan will graduate from Dartmouth in 2010 and is looking into post-graduate options.
Dylan Bruschi – Dylan is a junior at Lake Highland Preparatory in Florida. He’s an asset to the debate team and is looking into colleges.

Jenifer Cohen and Bob Smith – Jenifer and Bob work together in their accounting business. They have traveled much this year and love condo life in downtown Greenville, SC.

Happy Birthday to Walter Lewis

March 3, 1927 Walter Ray Lewis was born in Clariton, Pennsylvania to David John and Sarah Ann Beedle Lewis. As the third son and fourth child to be born into this family, Walt would be celebrating his 82nd birthday today. To the heavens above, I wish you a very Happy Birthday dad.

Happy Holidays 2008

Mike and Sue Fitzgerald have been blessed with another wonderful year of good health, supporting family, and devoted friends. We would like to take this opportunity to share some of our highlights of this year.

We again concentrated on our three loving performance whippets and spent many weekends traveling the east coast to run the most enthusiastic dogs in SC. Our Sophia continues to run only when absolutely needed for numbers, at seven our Torin is running better than ever, and our Brodie clenched the #4 NOTRA (oval racing) position in the US. Although it’s completely amateur running, with our dogs only receiving titles and toys, our three whippets are totally committed to their families and trying to catch the “bunny”. Neither of us have the heart to inform them it’s really just a regular white plastic garbage bag moving along a pulley system.

Believe it or not we have entered a new decade. Mike traded in his drag bike and his Harley Davidson motorcycle only to be replaced by a hardtop SLK Mercedes convertible. It’s not quite big enough for two adults and three dogs, but we have fun riding around summer evenings by moonlight.

Mike was laid off this fall due to the economic problems that have plagued many other families. Fortunately, he has been presented with other great opportunitites and should have a new position by the beginning of 2009. On another note, Sue will be eligible for full retirement in less than a year. Future options include moving to Texas, Florida, or staying in South Carolina. We both hope our future keeps us on the east coast.

2009 Events

• May – Cathy, Jenifer, and Sue were able to celebrate Gean Lewis’s 80th birthday in Lake Mary, Florida.
• May – Mike and Sue attended Andrew Lewis’s graduation from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Andrew will work one year in Chicago before joining the Duke staff for his residency. His sister Cara Lewis moved to Washington DC to work as a lawyer.
• August - Mike was able to join his family in Destin, FL for their first family reunion.
• September - Nathan Lewis Bruschi, a junior at Dartmouth, spent the fall semester studying at the Universitat de Barcelona.
• October - Cathy L. Bruschi joined Nathan in Spain for a week.
• Thanksgiving 2009 - Cathy and family hosted another festive Thanksgiving holiday in Lake Mary, FL. Gean, Jenifer, and Sue were all able to join the Bruschi family for the celebration.
• Connie and Bill Reitz still love the serene life in Massena, NY along the St. Lawrence River.
• Bill and Judy Lewis continue to live in Tulsa, OK.
• John and Kim Lewis relish the outdoor life in Austin, TX.
• Cathy and Damian Bruschi continue to live and travel between NY and FL.
• Jenifer and Bob are busy with their thriving accounting business in Greenville, SC.
• Cathy Reitz is busy living and working as a Speech Pathologist in the Rochester, NY area.
• Keith Reitz, a fourth year medical student, is working in a hospital in Queens, NY.
• Dylan Bruschi, a sophomore in high school, is following in the foots steps of his grandfather Walter Lewis and cousin Teddy Bruschi as a football player and also has become one of the key debaters on his high school team.
  
  We wish you and your family a very celebrated holiday.

Best Wishes,
Mike, Sue, Torin, Sophia, and Brodie

Why Women Should Vote

Greetings to all of the Lewis Family
I saw this e-mail and it reminded me of my father(Dave Lewis) kidding my mother(Sarah) about all the times she went out and demonstrated for Women's Right to Vote. In my mother's teen years and twenties (1910 to 1920) it was an exciting time in the women's suffrage movement. She would share with all of us her experiences of picketing and marching for this cause.
I don't remember her ever saying that she has been arrested or had spent a night in jail ....at least she never mentioned it to any of us.
In addition, I believe she may have participated (demonstrating) in a similar way in the support of prohibition (1915-1920.) Prohibition went into effect in 1920-1933. She was an avid supporter of the WCTU, (Women's Christian Temperance Union) most of her life. ( No one in our family every had an alcoholic drink in our home)

Thought this information about Sarah Lewis would be of interest to many of you.

Hope you are all doing well.
Dad, Grandpa, Uncle Lynn (whichever fits!)

Andrew Roper Lewis Graduates Medical School

It was an honor to attend Andrew's graduation from the Medical University of South Carolina on May 16, 2008. Shown in the graduation picture is: Bill Lewis, Moira Larsen, Andrew Lewis, Joanne (Andrew's fiancée), Cara Lewis, and Judy Lewis. Andrew and Joanna are now in Chicago for 1 year before he begins his residency at Duke.

Gibson Family Story

I found the Gibson family a rather interesting story. It begins with George Gibson immigrating to the Cambridge, Massachusetts area with his wife from Durie, England. It is believed he settled very close to where Harvard is now located. There is a story that George's son John Gibson, his son John Jr., and his son's wife accused two women of witchcraft. Court records show the accused Winifred Holman and her daughter Mary Holman in turn filed a suit against John Gibson, his son John Jr., and John Jr.'s wife. The extensive court records found to include details of character and what life was like in the early 1660s. The Holman women won the suit. In the following generation, Timothy Gibson moved to Stowe, Massachusetts and was brought up by the Holman family. Somehow the families reunited and put the witchcraft court case behind them. Timothy Gibson and Peris Rice were the parents of our Sergeant Major John Gibson who was born in Stowe in 1746. After the Revolutionary War John Gibson and his wife Mary or Mercy moved to Pomfret, Vermont where their son Charles Gibson was born in 1782. Charles married Rhonda Phillips and started a family before he moved to the Hopkinton, New York area. Charles and Rhonda had 9 children with many of their descendents still living in the Potsdam, Parishville, and Hopkinton area in St. Lawrence County, NY. Charles’s oldest son was John Gibson who was born in 1808 in Vermont. I do remember Aunt Jessie tell of a story of the family migrating from the Vermont area to Hopkinton. When John became of age he moved to Louisville Landing, NY where he spent the rest of his life. He and his wife Fanny Ellsworth had 7 children including our great grandfather and Aunt Jessie’s father, Eugene Gibson. John and Fanny’s youngest daughter was Frances Ellen Gibson who died in Louisville Aug. 27, 1854, at the age of 7 years. Frances’s death must have been a tragedy to the family along with 2 other children dieing early in life. Frances’s death is a mystery but maybe someone can find a record of the cause. I think she might be buried in the Louisville cemetery along with her parents, sisters, brothers, and our beloved Aunt Jessie.