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Memorial Set For Councilman Lewis

Autopsy Results Released

POSTED: 7:51 am PDT August 10, 2004
UPDATED: 2:42 pm PDT August 10, 2004

Memorial services will be held Thursday and Friday for San Diego City Councilman Charles Lewis III, 10News reported.

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A public viewing will be Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at New Creation Church, where Lewis attended. A funeral is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. at Bayview Baptist Church.

An autopsy revealed Monday that the 37-year-old councilman died from bleeding veins in his esophagus, brought on by chronic cirrhosis of the liver and other problems, the San Diego County medical examiner said.

Experts say there are two main causes of the disease in the United States -- hepatitis and alcoholism.

Lewis also suffered from hypertension, pancreatitis and gastritis, medical examiner's officials said.

Lewis died Sunday afternoon at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Allied Gardens. He woke up "in distress" at his Southeast San Diego home and was rushed by ambulance to the hospital, where he died just after 1 p.m., said Raquel Morrison, a representative of the Lewis family.

The San Diego City Council will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday after canceling Monday's meeting out of respect for Lewis. The council's next meeting will be Sept. 7, after a planned recess.

At that time, the council will declare a vacancy in District 4 and call for a special election that could cost up to $280,000. If necessary, a run-off election will be held Jan. 11.

In the interim, Anthony Young, Lewis' chief of staff, will remain in charge of the District 4 office, according to Mayor Dick Murphy, who Monday ordered all city flags to be flown at half-staff.

Lewis, who had lived in San Diego since he was a boy, was chief of staff to former Councilman George Stevens before being elected to the city council in 2002.

Lewis is survived by his wife, Carletta; his mother, Rosemary White-Pope; his father, Charles Lewis II; and sister Charis Lewis.


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