Mary Elizabeth Lewis

Mary Elizabeth Kane Lewis, of Mt. Lebanon, died on March 19, 2023, of complications from congestive heart failure in San Francisco, CA two weeks after her 97th birthday. She was a lifelong Pittsburgher who took dancing lessons from Gene Kelly in Squirrel Hill during the 1930s. She attended St. Philomena's and was active in the parish through the 1970s, when she moved to Mt. Lebanon. She attended Mt. Mercy High School in Oakland, graduating on June 6, 1944. (D-Day). She attended Carnegie Mellon University (Carnegie Tech at the time) and graduated with a degree in dramatic arts in 1948. She taught at Wilkinsburg Junior High School in the late 40s and early 50s. During this time, she acted in several plays at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

In the early 1950s, she earned a Master of Letters at the University of Pittsburgh in education.

She began working as a teacher at the Pittsburgh Playhouse school of the theater, while teaching at the same time at Mt. Mercy College (now Carlow). At the Playhouse she met Mark W. Lewis and married him in 1959. He became director of the Playhouse School and later chairman of the Fine, Applied and Performing Arts at Point Park College (now university) after it merged with the Playhouse in 1969. In 1969, she wrote and published a book, Acting for Children, which was a guide for teaching young people acting inspired by her teaching at the Playhouse school. From 1971 to 1990, she taught oral communication and acting at Community College of Allegheny County. After retirement, she traveled widely, to Ireland, England, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Croatia, many times on religious pilgrimages. She was an active member of St. Bernard's church, serving as a lector for many years. She attended daily mass and later watched daily mass on TV. Her latest adventure was to travel to San Francisco where she visited her daughters.  She was pre-deceased by her husband, Mark W. Lewis, her brother, John D. Kane, and her parents, Cyrus J. Kane and Nance Lawlor Kane.  She is survived by her three children, Mary Anne, Terry (Ben) and Mark (Anne Marie) Lewis, her sister, Nancy Thompson, four grandchildren: Raymond Lewis (Jessica), Mark Vincent Lewis, Charles Lewis and John Lewis and one great-grandchild - Gabriel Lewis who was born two months before her death.  She loved God, her husband, her children, the arts, crossword puzzles and sweets. She was always a vibrant, loving mother, who put God above all things but knew how to have fun, too. Family and friends are welcome Friday 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. WILLIAM SLATER II FUNERAL SERVICE, 1650 Greentree Road., Scott Twp., 15220 (412-563-2800). Mass of Christian Burial 11:30 a.m. Saturday, in St. Bernard Church, St. Michael the Archangel Parish. Interment Calvary Cemetery. If desired, memorial donations may be sent to Catholic Charities, 212 9th St. Pgh., PA 15222.  

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