The San Jacinto College community lost one its own Oct. 11 when Vice Chancellor of Fiscal Affairs Chester “Chet” Lewis died unexpectedly. He was 54. 

Chester Lewis III was born on October 17, 1963 in Provo, Utah. He officially assumed his position with the College January 19, 2016.

“I feel that I am joining the College at such an exciting time and I am looking forward to serving the students, faculty, staff, and Trustees of our community,” Lewis said in a press release upon his appointment with the College.  

He served as a member of the Strategic Leadership Team, where he contributed his leadership and administrative skills to the school’s business services. Also, he led or participated in many of the College’s initiatives and committees. After Hurricane Harvey, Lewis was a driving force in the effort to raise money for the Emergency Relief Fund established for employees and students of the College.

“Chet was excited about the work that we were doing at San Jacinto College,” San Jac Chancellor Brenda Hellyer said in a statement. “He loved to laugh and joke. He will be missed.”

Lewis was recently appointed to the Community and Technical Colleges Formula Advisory Committee by the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board and the Dual Credit Taskforce.

Before working at San Jacinto College, he served as Vice President of Finance and Administration at The University of Texas at Brownsville and as Associate Vice President of Business Affairs at Texas Southmost College. He also served as the CFO of the city of New Braunfels and spent time at Xcel Energy in Boulder, Colo.

Lewis initially attended Brigham Young University but later received a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Arizona State University and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Texas-Pan America.

He is survived by two sons: Justin and Trevor.

Also surviving are: his mother, Sharron Bowling; two sisters, Shannon Winski and Shanda Horsley; one brother, Richard Lewis; and his beloved cat, Indigo.

He was preceded by his eldest son, Ryan and his father, Chester Evert Lewis II.

Memorial services were held on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Niday Funeral Home in Pasadena.         

Michael Taggart contributed to compiling this report.