UPDATE: The funeral has been postponed until 1 pm Friday, February 25. It will be live streamed. See details below. Masks are strongly recommended for people attending in person. Download the worship leaflet here.
The Rev. Maurine Ann (Mo) Lewis died February 13, 2022, after a short illness. The memorial service will be at 1 pm Thursday, February 24, 2022, 1 pm Friday, February 25, 2022, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive So., Fort Worth, TX 76109. Clergy: cassock, surplice, white stoles. A long time friend, the Rev. Martha Berger of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, will preach; Bishop Scott Mayer will celebrate, and the Rev. Karen Calafat, rector, St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, will assist.
After retiring in 2008, Lewis moved to Fort Worth to be near her family. She arrived just in time to help the newly reorganized diocese which desperately needed priests. She became one of the beloved Circuit Riders, retired priests who served displaced congregations across the diocese. And as the only female priest among that company, she was in great demand in a diocese starved for the incarnational presence of priestly women.
She was born in Kansas City, Missouri on November 19, 1942. She is survived by her brother, Richard Lewis (Susan) of Dallas; by her sons Adam Polansky (Susan) of McKinney and Jason Polansky (Judith) of Grand Prairie, and her daughter Mike Fitzgerald (Doug) of Cheyenne, Wy; grandchildren Nelle Polansky, Jared Polansky (Kateland Hernandez), Julia Polansky, Weston Fitzgerald (Kayla); Nicole Bohlinger (Joe); and great grandchildren Skylar, Jaymie, Liam, Clay, Jaxon, and Anson; and by her beloved pets, her dog, Deacon Brodie, and her Umbrella Cockatoo, Milo.
The humanities were a constant in her life. Her bookshelves reveal her wide-ranging interests and skills such as the arts, drafting, calligraphy, writing, woodworking, travel, gardening, philosophy, religion, counseling, education, cooking, and needlework: knitting, sewing, crocheting, lace/tatting, needlepoint, embroidery, and quilting.
She was an accomplished musician and dancer in her youth. She performed as a violinist with the Wichita Youth Symphony in New York, Washington, DC, and Atlantic City, and as the principal dancer with the Kansas City Ballet featuring as the Swan in Swan Lake. More recently, she sang soprano in the choir at St. Luke’s in the Meadow Episcopal Church, Fort Worth. She played the recorder and the autoharp for her own enjoyment. To stay fit, she would still do a barre each morning. She also spoke French fluently. Refusing to own a television, she was no stranger to technology, owning the first Apple Macintosh in 1984 and later, the first iPhone. She easily transitioned between Alexa, Face Time, and Zoom, although she always preferred visiting with people face-to-face.
She adopted five sight hounds – five Greyhounds and one Whippet — and Milo, the Umbrella Cockatoo. She was a certified Master Gardener and a skilled carpenter who made furniture.
Prior to seeking ordination, she worked as a physician’s assistant for an OB/GYN, taught English as a Second Language at the high school and college level; worked at drafting, and did technical writing and editing at Texas Instruments.
She grew up in the Methodist Church but summers with her mother’s oldest sister Marguerite introduced her to The Episcopal Church, where she eventually would be called to ordained ministry.
At the University of North Texas, she got a Bachelor of Arts in 1976 and a Master of Arts from UNT in 1981. She earned a Master of Divinity from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA. She was ordained to the diaconate on June 27, 1992, and to the priesthood on January 31, 1993, both by the Rt. Rev. Richard Shimpfky in the Diocese of El Camino Real.
She served at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Los Gatos, CA, 1992-93; served as a curate at St. Phillip the Apostle in Scotts Valley, CA, 19932-1994, as an associate at Grace Cathedral in Topeka, KS, and as rector at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Madison, WI from 1997 to 2008, when she retired and moved to Fort Worth.
She was the celebrant at St. Stephen’s, Hurst, at the Hurst Women’s Club in November 2008 on the first Sunday after the vote at diocesan convention when the then bishop and others leaders left the Episcopal Church but claimed Episcopal church property. She brought hope to the displaced Episcopalians.
She was the first female priest to celebrate Eucharist in Parker County, which she did for the Episcopal Church in Parker County in January 2009. She was the first woman to celebrate for All Saints, Wichita Falls. She and Owanah Anderson, All Saints’ grande dame, were a formidable and interesting pair, Mo with her long-legged Greyhounds and Owanah with her beloved little dogs.
She also served at St. Mary’s, Hillsboro; St. Simon of Cyrene, Fort Worth; St. Mary’s, Hamilton; St. Alban’s, Theatre Arlington; the Episcopal Church in Wise County (now the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Decatur) and the Episcopal Church in Parker County — always accompanied by her dogs.
As a member of St. Luke’s in the Meadow, she most recently was leading reading and discussion groups as the congregation dealt with the grief of losing their building while also discerning what God is calling them to do next.
It is fitting that Lewis give the benediction to this obituary, sending us all out to do the work God has given us to do.
At St. Dunstan’s, where she was rector from 1997 until she retired in 2008, the parish described itself as a place “where we seek, love, and serve God and all God’s Creation.” The parish newsletter was The Lighthouse. In the October 2007 edition, Mo wrote:
Finally, even though we’ve had a return of summer after a week or so of brisk weather, I’m grateful for the change of seasons. Take time in the next few weeks to notice the different air and light, and which trees are getting the jump on the colorful season. Slow down, and instead of being on the way to somewhere, just be for a few minutes. Remember to breathe. And you’ll find that your breath will be a prayer – of thanks.
In lieu of flowers, people can honor her passion for animal welfare by making memorials to the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas at https://galtx.org/help/help-donate.shtml or Texas Parrot Rescue at https://texasparrotrescue.wixsite.com/website/donate
View Live Stream of service
The service will be live streamed. Below are instructions to view the service via different sources.
(Please note, Trinity’s web broadcasts typically go live five minutes before the event’s posted start time. You may need to refresh your browser or app for the content to appear).
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YouTube
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Vimeo
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