Lewis “Lew” William Christman

Lewis William Christman (Lew) of Newtown Square, PA., age 80, passed away at Bryn Mawr Hospital on April 13, 2026 after a long struggle with cancer. Lew was born in Hartford, CT in 1946 and grew up in Glastonbury, CT. He was the son of the late Ludwig (Chris) and Mary Louise (Mary Lou) Christman. He attended Glastonbury area schools and graduated from the University of Connecticut. In 1974, he married Susan and they lived in Bloomfield CT and then Windsor, CT. before moving to Pennsylvania in 1986.

Lew had a 33-year career in Information Technology (IT) working the majority of that time for CIGNA Corporation but also at Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) and IBM. In 1986, CIGNA transferred him to the Philadelphia area and he and his family settled in Newtown Square. While working in CIGNA’s International Division, Lew had the opportunity to travel to England, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Brazil among other countries and always brought back souvenirs to delight his wife and children.

Lew was an avid collector of baseball paraphernalia, particularly baseball cards but also autographed photos and baseballs and team yearbooks. He also amassed an extensive collection of books about baseball, teams and players.

Being from CT, he split his baseball fanship between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and for football, it was the Giants all the way. After moving to PA, he quickly switched his loyalties to the Phillies although it took years for him switch to being an Eagles fan but he eventually did.

He loved reading, devouring both non-fictional and fictional books. Other than books about baseball, he was a big fan of books about history, cultures, and biographies as well as mysteries, the supernatural, horror and historical fiction.

He will be dearly missed by his beloved wife Susan, his three children and their spouses: Page Christman and Jim Strong, Eric and Nora Christman, and Lindsey and Mike Cahill; his four grandchildren: William Christman, Ellen Christman, Lily Strong, and Emma Strong; his brother and sister-in-law: George and Dale Christman; and his cousin Mike Christman and his wife Kat and son Teague.

A Celebration of Lew’s Life is being planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, friends who wish may contribute to the American Cancer Society or to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

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