Lewis M. Kleinkopf died unexpectedly on Dec. 12 from a rare form of cancer. He was born Jan. 2, 1929 in the Bronx, N.Y., son of Peter and Rhea (Grossman) Kleinkopf.
Lewis and his wife Eileen lived the Bronx, N.Y., Fair Lawn, N.J. and for the past seven years at Thornton Oaks, a retirement community in Brunswick.
Lewis grew up in Riverdale, N.Y. and attended The Fieldstone School. He attended Antioch College and graduated from New York University. He worked as a private accountant in the publishing and chemical business. He taught folk dancing in his spare time.
Lewis was a music enthusiast with a deep appreciation and knowledge of classical music. He enjoyed folk dancing, telling stories, and learning about music and history. He appreciated traveling, spending time with his children and grandchildren and reading the New York Times. Since the age of 20 Lewis’ family summered in Surry. He retired to Maine because some of his happiest times were spent there.
His greatest attribute were his acts of kindness: helping a friend in need; recognizing a neighbor’s special interest; offering to video a family event or share a recording of a favorite musical or symphony.
Lewis is survived by his wife of 54 years, Eileen (Katz) Kleinkopf; daughters, Alissa, Erica, and Karen and husbands Jim, David and Tim; seven grandchildren; and sister, Judy.
The family requests donations in his name be made to Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine (University of Maine Augusta), www.hhrc.uma.edu; Great Salt Bay Community School Music Program, 559 Main St., Damariscotta, ME 04543; or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), http://www.jdrf.org.
