Lewis Edward Gaither

Lewis was born in Philadelphia on March 10, 1948. He was a Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Fan. He moved to MD in 1952. He graduated from Glenelg High School in Howard County, MD. Lewis was preceded in death by his parents James E. "Guy" Gaither and Florence Kelly Gaither. His siblings who preceded him in death are sisters Joyce and Dot, and brother Raymond "Louise" Johnson, and step-father James Harris. He leaves behind his brother Wayne Gaither (wife Paula Gaither) and James L. Gaither. He was also preceded in death by his best friend and Main Apple Scrapple Abdur Rahman. He also leaves behind best friend John "JJ" Jackson, Jr. He married Sakeena Thompson and togehter they raised four children. He leaves behind his children Haleema Jenifer (son LaVon Hall), William Long III (daughter Ayla Long & son Gavin Long), taMica Gaither-Banks (son Bashiru Gaither and husband Drew Banks), and Taren Booker (husband Tony Booker). He also leaves behind a grandson, Jason Rahman. He leaves behind a host of friends, cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was a devoted Deacon and Trustee at Alabaster Ministries under Bishop Timothy W. Tilman, Sr. for over 20 years. He retired from Giant Food where he worked 30 years. He was also a former bus driver and chauffeur. He loved his Lincoln Towncar. He could tell you how to get anywhere up and down the East Coast with street names, beltway exit numbers, and landmarks. Anyone who knows him knows how much he loved cars. Over the years he owned quite a few. He could listen to the engine hum and tell you what kind of engine it was. He could fix anything. Once the boiler at the church (New Hope) was broken, he spent countless hours in the cold basement reading through the manual to fix it. It took some time, but he got it up and running. We were all grateful for the heat. On October 6, 2023, he fell and had a stroke two days before his twins' birthday. He had been sick for the last six months. On Thursday 4/25/2024 he went to hospice. On Friday 4/26/2024 after plenty of visitors, we chose to remove the breathing tube and turn off the ventilator. His niece Tiffany Gaither read a prayer to send him off. He was fighting once the life support was removed. HIs Goddaughter Jackie Davis said he was fighting until he heard from MIca. I (Mica) whispered in his ear that he could go and I would be okay. My husband (Drew) whispered in his ear that he would continue to take care of myself and my son. And just like that he was gone.

Tributes

Lewis Edward Gaither

March 20, 1948 - April 26, 2024