John Frederick Lewis Jr.

Died in Sun City Center, FL at age 84 – John Lewis was a true American hero in every sense of the term. His immensely impactful life was defined by principled leadership, high regard for others and cherishing his family. John was a living embodiment of the virtues of “Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity” and was “Always Faithful” in all that he did.

John was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Frederick John Lewis and Gladys Maxine Thompson. His father’s military service brought the family to locations such as Japan, Hawaii and Arlington/Ft Myer, Virginia. John earned a BA in Government and Public Administration at American University in 1966 in Washington, DC; and a MA in Criminal Justice at The George Washington University in 1976.

John met his sweetheart, Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Bodson, while taking classes at University of Virginia. John got to class early and asked her on a date to the “Rainbow Room”, later pulling into McDonalds “Golden Arches!” The rest was history. John and Betty were married in 1965 and continued in “connubial bliss” for over 60 years. His love and adoration for her was apparent to all who spent time with the couple.

John joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1966 and was deployed to Vietnam where he was awarded several medals to include a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V”. He was honorably discharged in 1969 with the rank of captain.

John entered the FBI as a special agent in November 1969. He began working in the FBI’s Foreign Counterintelligence Program in 1974, and was involved in some of the FBI’s most historic espionage and foreign agent recruitment matters over the following years. He served in a variety of investigative and managerial positions, both in the field and at FBI headquarters. He was a member of one of the first FBI SWAT teams. He was selected to attend the National War College at Fort McNair, Washington, DC, for the class of 1987. After graduation from the NWC, John served as Director of Counterintelligence and Security Countermeasures Programs for the National Security Council (NSC) Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. In 1989, he was detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency and served as the Senior Counterintelligence Advisor in a major CIA station in Europe. Director Louis Freeh appointed John as Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Division, leading FBI’s domestic and international counterintelligence and counterterrorism programs.

John retired from the FBI in 1998 to be the first Global Security Director at Goldman Sachs. He was there four years before stepping away to care for Betty during her cancer treatment.

After his full retirement, the couple moved to St. James, North Carolina and made an incredible impact on their community there. John enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and teaching them lessons from the life of a “PIP” or “Previously Important Person,” waging war on squirrels, gophers, lizards, and other forms of wildlife, playing solitaire, watching FBI, CSI, and BBC crime television shows, golfing, biking, walking, and enjoying social engagements with Betty with their large circle of friends. John’s humor and good nature was appreciated in his retirement.

John served as vice president of the St. James chapel. He was a person of deep faith and inspired Christian learning and virtues in his children and grandchildren through his nightly family prayers and faith-centered conversations.

John volunteered as a mentor for junior high school youth in Southport NC; he performed meaningful volunteer work for the Brunswick County Sheriff's office working on “cold cases”. He served as the Emergency Manager for the St. James EM Team. He also served for a time on the St. James Town Council.

John and Betty moved to Freedom Plaza in Sun City, Florida in 2025 and were immediately embraced by the warm, welcoming community there. John was delighted to participate in all the exercise and balance classes there, play golf and various card games with his new friends, and find a strong faith community. He found constant amusement in the wildlife on the beautiful grounds there, and loved talking with all the ladies around FP Circle.

John was very interested in family history and collected a great deal of genealogical information on his family, their roots in England, Germany, Alsace-Lorainne, France and Canada. He became a member of the Sons of the American Revolution shortly before his death.

John is survived by Betty, his children Dawn McCarthy and Tyson Lewis, his brother Daniel, and his 4 grandchildren: David, Henry, Amelia and Reed. Memorial Services will be held at Freedom Plaza in Sun City Center, FL on May 8 at 1 PM, and at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.