Michael Lewis died on January 3, 2024 after a long illness. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on October 2, 1937. As a boy Mike was very involved in music, became an accomplished pianist, and graduated from the High School of Music and Art in New York City. He loved playing baseball and was proud of his role as first baseman on a New York City high school championship team.
Mike graduated from Brooklyn College and received his Ph.D. in Sociology at Princeton University. He taught for several years at the University of Illinois and then moved to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he was a member of the Sociology Department for four decades. He was an honored teacher while at the university and considered a number of his doctoral students as both colleagues and close friends. Mike authored many books and articles, the most famous of which is The Culture of Inequality, a classic study of inequality in the United States.
Mike and his family lived in Northampton, where he coached Little League, worked on community anti-poverty efforts, and did research in applied sociology in Springfield and other local Massachusetts communities.
His two children, Ethan and Rachel, predeceased him. He is survived by his grandson Stefan Krysa, his brother Harry Lewis, his brother's family, and by many long-term and dear friends.
A memorial service for Mike Lewis will be held at the Inn at Lathrop, 100 Bassett Brook Dr., Easthampton, MA 01027 on Saturday, February 17, 2024, from 2:00-4:00 p.m.