David Lewandowski

David Lewandowski, beloved husband of JoAnn (DeMarco) Lewandowski, died peacefully Aug. 24 at Brothers of Mercy Nursing Home in Clarence. He was 82.

David was born on July 17, 1944, to Eugenia (Kotas) and Alexander Lewandowski in Buffalo, N.Y. The youngest of three, he grew up in North Buffalo and had a cherished relationship with his mom, who died when he was 14. She remained a significant influence throughout his life, and he reveled in sharing stories about her.

David graduated from Hutchinson Central Technical High School in Buffalo, after which he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served from 1962 through 1968, and was deployed aboard the USS Repose as a Navy medic during the Vietnam War. A proud veteran, David felt a strong connection to his fellow veterans and enjoyed sharing stories both somber and silly from his years of service.

David met his wife of 57 years, JoAnn, at a party in Buffalo, and said he knew immediately she was the one. The two married Oct. 11, 1969.

Their daughter Jennifer was born in 1974, son Nicholas in 1978, and daughter Sarah in 1981.

Nicholas, born with a congenital heart defect, died 10 days shy of his first birthday, and the event was life-altering for the couple. They became active members of Compassionate Friends in the greater Buffalo area and through the organization made lifelong friends with those who also suffered the loss of a child.

After a brief time with Western Electric and General Mills, David landed at Honeywell, where he worked his way up the ranks and retired after more than three decades as an account executive. His career in sales was a point of pride, and he enjoyed the ability to connect with people and cultivate loyal customers. Offered multiple promotions throughout his career that would have taken him from the Buffalo area, David was also fiercely loyal to his wife and family, and so they remained rooted in the community. David and his family called Eggertsville, Getzville, and Clarence Center home.

David was a lifelong Bills fan, an avid golfer for many years, and loved to undertake home projects with gusto. His silliness pervaded many of his interactions and he loved to crack jokes and hold court with his humor. He and his wife enjoyed more than a decade of snow-birding in Sarasota, where they would soak up the sun with family and dear friends. After retiring, David found joy in volunteering with the Clarence Lions Club and for St. Mary's of Swormville. He and JoAnn also were longtime members of Ballroom & Beyond, which provided years of incredible dance classes, performances, events, and meaningful friendships that the two held dear.

After JoAnn was diagnosed in 2023 with Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's, David and JoAnn took that journey bravely together, and he took seriously his commitment to be by her side in sickness and health. He remained her caregiver at home until she moved to Bristol Village memory care in August 2025. So brokenhearted at the loss of his life partner, David passed away almost one year to the day of JoAnn leaving home. The two were nearly inseparable and had built a life together with extended family and cherished friends that felt irrevocably changed with JoAnn's progression of dementia.

For the last months of his life, David lived just one floor down from his wife at Brothers of Mercy, and they frequently visited each other, still companionable and easy together.

David is survived by his children, Sarah and Jennifer, his grandchildren, Dylan, Maizie, and Mar, and his sister Anne-Marie (Bob) and brother Michael (Karen).

Private interment was in Mount Calvary Cemetery. A memorial will be planned at a later date. Donations may be made to Brothers of Mercy Nursing Home.