James R. Lewis and his wife Alice, who founded Lewis Marine Supply Inc. in Fort Lauderdale almost a half century ago and turned it into one of the largest marine parts businesses in the country, died within days of each other earlier this month.

Alice Lewis, 83, died on May 2 of a heart attack. Eight days later, James Lewis, 84, died of kidney failure and other complications. The couple, who lived in Fort Lauderdale, had been married for 58 years. “He said he didn’t want to live without my mother,” said their son, Stephen Lewis.

Mr. Lewis, originally from Elm City, N.C., moved to Miami after serving as an Army Air Corps pilot in World War II. During the war, he flew patrols in the Atlantic searching for enemy submarines.

He began working for a marine parts distributor in Miami, where he met Alice, originally from Tampa, who at the time was a Western Union operator. They married on July 4, 1947.

After working in the marine parts business in Miami for 11 years, Mr. Lewis decided to strike out on his own. He saw the potential for Fort Lauderdale to grow into an international boating center and, after raising $5,000 from a group of friends, started up Lewis Marine Supply in 1956 at 407 NW First Ave. with his wife.

At first, the couple struggled to gain the confidence of marine parts manufacturers, who preferred to deal through Miami, Stephen Lewis said. Mr. Lewis took charge of sales, covering the territory from Broward County to Daytona Beach and parts of central Florida.

Mrs. Lewis kept the store’s records, did the bookkeeping and raised the couple’s two children, Stephen and Betty.

The company grew rapidly as the regional marine sector expanded, and by 1961 they opened another store in Cocoa. The Lewises later expanded their original operation in Fort Lauderdale and added five more locations.

Today, Lewis Marine is widely known in the marine industry and has about 250 employees working at six locations in Florida, Maine, New York and North Carolina. There are about 100 workers at the company’s headquarters on Southwest 32nd Street in Fort Lauderdale.

The company publishes a 1,000-page catalog with merchandise from more than 500 manufacturers, as well as an online catalog on its Web site.

Aside from their business, the Lewises enjoyed travel, baseball and football, and owned prizewinning racehorses that ran at Calder Race Course and other tracks. Their horses ran in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. One of their stallions, Mecke, won more than $2.4 million in purses, according to The Associated Press.

In addition to their son and daughter, they are survived by four grandchildren.

Instead of flowers, the family has asked that donations in memory of James and Alice Lewis be made to Church by the Sea School, 1705 South Ocean Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.

Joseph Mann can be reached at or 954-356-4665.