May 20, 1917 - June 2, 2010
Lewis A. "Lewie" Preyer passed away Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at Bert Fish Medical Center, New Smyrna Beach, surrounded by family and friends.
Lewie was born May 20, 1917, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the middle child of three, including his older brother Charles and younger sister Marjorie. Lewie moved to New Smyrna Beach with his family in 1924. He lived the rest of his life on the beachside, becoming a beloved and legendary member of the community. He attended Faulkner Street Elementary and Live Oak Street School.
After graduating, Lewie worked a number of jobs before joining the Army during WWII. He served with the Seventh Armored Division and was involved in a number of major battles including the invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. Lewie's ingenuity and mechanical skills began to surface during the service. During the Battle of the Bulge (when Lewie's hearing was permanently damaged from the noise of the shells) he crawled into a disabled German tank and was able to start the tank and return it to American lines so that the Americans could study it. He also built a radio more powerful than the Army issued equipment and troops would come to him to hear the latest reports. His superiors recognized his abilities and then asked him to train other soldiers to ride motorcycles. He survived numerous battles and even an attempted poisoning during the liberation of France (the only soldier in his outfit to survive). During the war, he married Joy Virginia Sears, who he had met in New Smyrna. Joy predeceased him in 1999. After his discharge, Lewie returned to his beloved wife and town and began a series of firsts: -He owned and operated the first beach stand in Volusia County. -He operated the beachside's first dump truck, driving the old model T through the neighborhoods to collect the trash. -He then started the city's first marina, Preyer's Boat Mart, in a small building on Flagler A venue. The boat mart became his livelihood for many years, moving once to another building on Flagler and finally to a building he constructed on fill dirt on what is now known as Venezia. It was the first building on that property that now houses a marina, bowling alley and several other businesses. Lewie and Joy welcomed their only child, Lucinda Joy (Cindy) in 1950. Cindy later joined her dad at the marina, eventually taking over the business when he retired in 1971. She operated the marina until the family sold it in 1977.
Lewie loved speed, and was a mechanical wizard. It was this combination that led him to pursue racing in many forms. It started with motorboats powered by the Mercury outboard engines he sold. Lewie dominated his classes and even raced and succeeded in unlimited contests as well. The typical result of one of his races would have the judges scratching their heads after tearing down his motors to determine what he had done to win. Lewie's victories and records were always upheld.
The American Power Boat Association lists two national speed records set by Lewie in 1961. He almost loved racing on land as much as the water and was one of the pioneers racing on the beach in Daytona. He moved to go-karts and raced on a national gokart circuit, once placing third in the unlimited class at the World championships. He returned to the water to compete in sailboat racing.
He participated in the Lipton cup for many years, winning numerous times in class. Again, his competitors many times were baffled by how Lewie could win racing what they thought was inferior equipment. Lewie's edge was in his ability to read the wind and to tinker with his boats to get the most out of them. Lewie and friends saw a need for a club in town that fostered boating activities and welcomed families. This led to the founding of the New Smyrna Boat and Ski Club in 1956.
The club built a modest building on city owned property on the North Causeway, south of the boat mart. In fact, during construction of the boat mart, Lewie would take extra materials across the street to help with the clubhouse. The club continues today and the building was dedicated to Lewie in 1995.
Although he retired from the marina, he continued enjoying a life on the water. He sailed every summer to the Bahamas with family and friends. When at home, he could be found many days sailing the intracoastal or offshore. If no one was around to go with him, he didn't hesitate to sail single-handedly on his two favorite boats, the Cindy and the Azure. He was also an avid offshore fisherman and never missed a trip with the Boat and Ski Club, carrying the torch as the last surviving founding member.
Lewie is survived by his daughter Cindy, her husband Hal Spence and his only granddaughter, Kaley Preyer Spence. He served as a volunteer firefighter for the Coronado Beach Fire Department, was a founding member (and past Commodore) of the New Smyrna Boat and Ski Club, and at the time of his death was the oldest member of the Coronado United Methodist Church.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Coronado Community United Methodist Church. A celebration of his life will follow at the Boat and Ski Club, 242 North Causeway.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, Florida 32129, and Southeast Volusia Humane Society, 1200 S. Glencoe Road, New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168.
