Obituary of Juanita M. Lewis

Dr. Juanita M. Lewis, age 83, of Baltimore, transitioned Friday, November 27, 2020. Mrs. Lewis was born April 6, 1937 in Portsmouth, VA. The public viewing will be held Tuesday, December 15, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services, 8728 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD (21133). The Homegoing Celebration will be held Wednesday, December 16, 2020 in the Chapel of Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services, 8728 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD (21133), where the family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. with services to follow. The interment will take place at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 1:45 p.m. Obituary for Dr. Juanita Mills Lewis Juanita Mills Lewis was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on April 6, 1937, the fourth of eight children born to Rodger S. Mills, Sr., a custodial worker for the old B&O Railroad and his wife, the former Tempie Snow, a homemaker. Juanita departed this life on November 27, 2020, following a battle with cancer. She was 83. Her family moved to Baltimore when Juanita was a toddler and established firm roots in the West Baltimore community that Juanita was to call home for the rest of her life. With a knack for academics, Juanita attended Baltimore City Public Schools, graduating from Douglass High School before attending the former Coppin State Teachers College (now Coppin State University) and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1965. Thereafter, she spent her entire working career as a classroom teacher and then as an administrator in the Baltimore City Public School system. Along the way, Juanita earned both a master's and a doctorate degree in education from Morgan State University. Of course, as part of the academic mix, Juanita gladly displayed the colors of her beloved Delta Sigma Theta sorority. In 1955, Juanita married Richard Lewis, a factory worker who had likewise moved north from his native Virginia. This union produced two children, Gregory Lewis and Pamela Lewis Walker, who were both a source of motherly pride for Juanita. With a paperback novel or a crossword puzzle and a favorite TV show ("It's my company," she'd say) Juanita would relax from juggling home, family and professional life with such flair that her children still marvel at the things she might pull out of her hat, like the joyous two-week sightseeing trip to the West Coast that Juanita orchestrated for the three of them on the occasion of Gregory's high school graduation. And Juanita doted on her grandchildren. Juanita accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior at an early age and was a longtime member of Heritage United Church of Christ in West Baltimore. Surely, Juanita's sweet and loving spirit was one of God's "good and perfect" gifts spoken of by the holy evangelist (James 1:17). Juanita's nickname-- "Ducky" -- suited her perfectly because her customary demeanor was like a duck calmly floating on the water while unseen below the surface her feet paddled with restless energy, making it all happen. Professionally, Juanita's no-nonsense approach was noticed by Dr. Roland Patterson, the first black superintendent of Baltimore City Public Schools, who promoted Juanita to a position in his central office administration in the 1970s. There she remained during the tenure of every superintendent to follow until her retirement in 1997. Dr. John Crew, immediate successor to Dr. Patterson, picked Juanita as his top administrative assistant. Indeed, in everything that she put her hand to, Dr. Juanita Mills Lewis excelled. Juanita was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and five siblings: sisters Reathella Ann Steele (husband Ulysses Steele), Sue Mills and Clementine Henson (husband William T. Henson) and two brothers, Rodger S. Mills, Jr. and James Floyd Mills. Juanita is survived by her children, Gregory and Pamela, three grandchildren, Jelani Walker, Jamila Denney (husband Jerry Denney) and Khalid Walker (wife Jacqueline Walker), three great-grandchildren, Jackson Walker, Jordan & Jada Denney, two sisters, Tempie L. Bulls and Ruby Mills and one sister-in-law, Lucy Lewis (husband John Lewis), along with a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.