PUEBLO, Colo.— The community has lost a giant, in the on-going fight for civil rights, human dignity and love and respect for all, in the death of the Rev. Robert “Boba” Lewis, 76.
Rev. Lewis was an elementary school teacher who touched the hearts of hundreds young students and was a tireless advocate for social justice. He once said, “I would summarize my life by introducing you to a contradictory term — a free black man in America and that’s how I live.”
In a video produced by Orlando Rodriguez about the importance of Black History Month, Lewis recalled his years in the Navy when he transversed the Atlantic more than once.
“I think about the slaves — men, women, children, women with babies, teenagers jumping over the side that ship in the middle of the Atlantic rather than sailing to the United States to become slaves. That my brothers is resistance!…”
He believed the key to resistance was to know who you are. “And you can’t do that without a knowledge of your past or your history… From a black history point of view, I wish a gift that I could give to African Americans, and probably to everyone, is the gift of the value and greatness of their own heritage and their own cultures.”
In a guest editorial published by The Pueblo Chieftain in 2015, Lewis wrote about his personal experiences with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Dr. King once said, ‘All too many of those who live in affluent America ignore those who exist in poor America. In doing so, the affluent Americans will eventually have to face themselves with the question that (Otto Adolf) Eichmann (one of the major organizers of the Holocaust) chose to ignore: How responsible am I for the well-being of my fellows? To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.'”
Lewis took his own advice. “Resist!, Resist!, Resist!” In the last weeks of his life, he was working to register voters for the upcoming midterm elections..
Below is an obituary sent to La Cucaracha News by members of his family.
Obituary
Robert S. Lewis Jr., 76, of Pueblo West, Colo., passed away Jan. 23, 2026, at Memorial Hospital with his family by his side.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Robert and June (Siner) Lewis, Robert earned his BA from Fort Wayne Bible College in 1973 and his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1977. He was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and served as a pastor in Sioux City, Iowa, and Yankton, South Dakota.
In 1983, he joined the United States Navy as a chaplain, serving for 15 years. During that time, he earned a Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. After retiring from the Navy, he moved to Colorado Springs and later Pueblo West, where he taught middle school English and retired from Chavez Huerta Preparatory Academy.
Robert had a deep love for fishing, especially catfish, and found great joy in uncovering his family’s history, tracing his roots back through generations, including to ancestors who endured slavery. He was passionate about preserving that legacy for his family.
He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his four children and their spouses, nine grandchildren, his sister Teresa (Richard) Harris, and a niece and nephew.
Robert’s life was marked by service, curiosity, and love of adventure. He will be deeply missed.
According to Chela Lujan, EMS community organizer, Mr. Lewis not only worked on the voter registration for incarcerated people, the Christmas 2025 stocking stuffers and in several Take It Down protests.