Leland Durward Lewis, 95, of Columbia, formerly of Hemingway, died Wednesday, November 29, 2017, after a short illness. He was born in Hemingway, SC on Christmas Day, 1921 to the late Joseph Holland Lewis Sr. and Annie Sue Owens Lewis. He was a long time Public Accountant in the Columbia, Charleston and Hemingway areas. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Susan Sanders Lewis; daughter, Joanne Lewis (Ken) Burghardt; son, Leland D. (Sharon) Lewis; grandchildren, Will (Krystyna) Lewis, Christen Lewis, Jonathan (Lauren) Burghardt, Matthew (Jenny) Burghardt; five great-grandchildren; and sister, Elizabeth Fenters. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his daughter, Suzanne Lewis; brothers, Clifton and Junior Lewis; and sisters, Vernelle L. Ard and Lillian L. Harrison.

Major Lewis was a veteran of WWII. His service began in January 1941 at Fort Moultrie with the 263rd Coast Artillery. He went overseas in October 1943 serving in England in the 65th Army General Hospital, which serviced the 8th Air Force. After the war he served in the South Carolina Army National Guard, retiring with 25 years of service.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina in 1951, Durward, Susan and family settled back in Hemingway. There, in addition to continuing and growing his public accountancy, he served on the Hemingway Town Council for four years, then as Mayor for 12 more years. During that time, he helped usher in a period of unprecedented growth for Hemingway and the surrounding area.

Holding to his Christian beliefs, he served First Baptist Church in Hemingway as Deacon, Sunday School teacher and other leadership roles throughout his time there. When he and his wife moved to Columbia in 2000, he continued teaching Sunday School at North Trenholm Baptist Church. He was proud of the fact that he was able to teach Sunday School classes for 71 years, until his recent illness. Statewide, he served on the SC Baptist Ministries for the Aging for over 25 years and continued in an emeritus capacity until his death.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to: SC Baptist Ministry for the Aging, 190 Stoneridge Drive, Columbia, SC 29210.

There will be a memorial service honoring the life of Mr. Lewis at North Trenholm Baptist Church, 6515 N. Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC at 2 o'clock, Saturday, December 2nd. The family will greet friends prior to the service beginning at 1 o'clock. A graveside service at Old Johnsonville Methodist Church Cemetery, 846 S. Georgetown Hwy., Johnsonville, SC 29555, will be held at 2 o'clock, Friday, December 1st. Morris Funeral Home, Hemingway and Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, Columbia are assisting the family.