She is survived by her daughter, Valerie Stallings; granddaughters, Jennifer and Joni; and several nephews and nieces. Her husband, William, died in 1968.

Lewis worked for Continental Can Co., American Can Co., and, until her retirement, at the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library. But she is best remembered, at least in this neck of the woods, for her strong personality and her efforts – through groups like the 52nd Precinct Community Council – to make her neighborhood a better place.

“She took charge everywhere she went,” said Mary Kennedy, an old friend, and one of 20 or so Norwood folk who came to show their respect at a viewing last Friday, at McKeon Funeral Home on Perry Avenue. “My Way,” by Frank Sinatra, filled the room. Lewis, who identified with the song’s title, had requested it be played, her daughter said.

Parks, in particular, were Lewis’s passion, and in retirement she dedicated herself to the upkeep of Whalen Park, on Perry Avenue at East 205th Street. She organized cleanups and recruited local schoolchildren to inject some color by planting tulips, daffodils and crocuses.

By getting kids involved, “she in-spired the next generation of park lovers,” said Anthony Martinez of Partnerships for Parks.

Her work didn’t go unnoticed: in 1994 she won a prestigious Volunteer Greening Award from the City Parks Foundation and the city Parks Department. Lewis also helped out in Williamsbridge Oval Park and was active with the Mosholu Woodlawn South Community Coalition. Norwood residents called her the “Parks Lady.”

Sirio Guerino, a fellow parks volunteer, was amazed by Lewis’s energy. “She used to out-garden me!” said the more youthful Guerino. Her boldness impressed him, too. Despite being diminutive in stature, “she was feisty,” he said, and wasn’t afraid to stop anyone in the street and scold them for any indiscretions, like not cleaning up after their dog.

Lewis, who was born in the now-demolished Fordham Hospital, on Southern Boulevard, moved to Perry Avenue in 1943. She vacationed – after her husband died she travelled extensively in Europe and America – but she always came back to her quiet tree-lined street in the northwest Bronx. And she remained in the same one-bedroom apartment until 2000, when she moved to Virginia, to live with her daughter, and near her granddaughters.

Before leaving town, Lewis was honored for her contribution to Bronx parks in a ceremony at the Oval, presided over by then-Bronx Parks Commissioner Bill Castro. “[Lewis proved that] volunteers can really have a tremendous impact,” Castro told a Norwood News reporter at the time.

In Virginia, Lewis still gardened when she could. She enjoyed eating out and visiting art galleries and festivals. And she liked the area and being with family, although she was left frustrated by Norfolk’s comparatively sleepy public transport system, her daughter said, after 90 years of the hustle and bustle of New York City.

At the viewing, friends and family shared memories of decades past and stared at old photographs. In some ways, though, it was an upbeat affair. Lewis lived long – she was born midway through the First World War – and achieved much. “She led a full life,” her granddaughter, Jennifer, said.

Interment was at Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York.