Michael W. Lewars ’63

Mike, a senior executive with Procter & Gamble, died Jan. 2, 2025, at his home on Bainbridge Island, Wash., where he had retired and built an enriching second life.

Mike came to Princeton from Manheim Township High School in Neffsville, Pa. He majored in chemical engineering, belonged to Key & Seal, and was a member of the Undergraduate Schools Committee and Tiger magazine.

Mike earned an MBA at Stanford in 1965. That same year he married Nancy Corbit, whom he called “the love of my life,” and joined Procter & Gamble. He lived and worked in various American cities before ending his career as director of product supply for Asia, living for five years in Kobe, Japan.

In 2001, Mike retired and moved to a waterfront home on Bainbridge Island. He wrote in our 60th-reunion yearbook that he and Nancy “decided it was time to ‘give back’ for all of our blessings.” He took leadership roles on the Island Rotary community grants committee, Planning Commission, Schools Foundation, and the Arts and Humanities Council. For Princeton, he dedicated a humanities seminar for engineering students, interviewed applicants, and was a force in yearly fundraising efforts.

“Mike Lewars was our Annual Giving west region section chair for all of my years as class agent,” said longtime class treasurer Bob Eisenstadt. “His contacts and follow-ups with classmates achieved high levels of participation in his region each year and were a significant contribution to our overall results.”

Mike and Nancy kept touch with Princeton friends. “We do a once-a-month Zoom get-togethers with other dear and lifelong friends and fellow Princetonians: Rebecca Blickenstaff, Gordons, Grubbs, Krugmans, and Michelovs,” he wrote in our 60th-reunion yearbook.

Mike is survived by daughters Stacy and Corbin; and four grandchildren. Nancy, his wife of 58 years, died in 2023.