Pecky D. Lewis Jr., who guided Oakland County Parks expansion, dies at 94

OAKLAND COUNTY — Bloomfield Hills resident Pecky D. Lewis Jr., who died at his home July 10 at the age of 94, left his mark on Oakland County through his long service on the county’s Parks and Recreation Commission, as a longtime business owner and as the mayor of Royal Oak in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Lewis was a parks commissioner from 1982 to 2015. In 1992, he became the chairperson of the commission. He held this position until 2013, making him the longest-serving chairperson of the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission.

Sue Wells, retired manager of parks and recreation, worked with Lewis the entire time he was a parks commissioner. Wells said that at the time, Oakland County Parks and Recreation was very facility-driven with waterparks, golf courses and playgrounds.

“He helped guide the wave for the facilities, the programs and the best practices that we had,” Wells said.

Several parks were developed under his leadership including Catalpa Oaks, Highland Oaks, Lyon Oaks and Rose Oaks county parks.

Among the facilities that opened while he was on the commission were Red Oaks Waterpark, Michigan’s first refrigerated toboggan run, a golf course, greenhouses, three nature centers, three dog parks and renovations to campgrounds.

Wells described Lewis as “humble,” “thorough” and “thoughtful” in his work.

“He was dedicated and loved what he did,” Wells said. “He was very passionate about the park system and about making Oakland County parks a better place for the people of Oakland County.”

David VanderVeen, vice chairperson of the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission, worked with Lewis for about 17 years.

Lewis was with the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission during a time of expansion, and VanderVeen said he thought Lewis was the “right person at the right time.”

“He guided us through periods of tremendous expansion and growth, and the efforts that he brought to Oakland County Parks and Recreation will be enjoyed continually for generations to come,” VanderVeen said.

VanderVeen said Lewis was a very patient man, which contributed to his effectiveness as a leader.

“He was a very considerate person,” VanderVeen said. “He weighed all opinions and encouraged everybody to participate, which are traits of a good leader.”

In 2015, Lewis was inducted into the Michigan Recreation and Park Association Hall of Fame.

In addition to his work with parks and recreation, Lewis served as president of Liberty Special Tool Co. for more than 50 years — which was founded in Hazel Park in 1953 and later had facilities in Royal Oak and Bad Axe, according to his obituary — and he served as mayor of Royal Oak from 1975 to 1981. He was a longtime member of the Royal Oak Lions Club, according to his obituary.

Royal Oak City Commissioner Patricia Paruch worked with Lewis while he was mayor. She said they were facing a tough time economically during his term, partly because property tax revenue was not keeping up with inflation.

At this time, the city was also trying to figure out how to reinvigorate the downtown. Due to the economy at the time, development was low; however, some of the downtown’s development was in its infancy.

Paruch said Lewis approached city government like a business, which she said was an appropriate approach at the time.

“When push came to shove, the business of running the city and the economics of it were the most important thing as far as he was concerned in order to get the city back on track,” Paruch said.