Dr. Lewis C. Downing of North Haven, Conn. died on Feb. 24 at Connecticut Hospice after a long illness. He was 84.

He was born in Roanoke, Va. on July 6, 1931, a son of the late Dr. Lylburn C. Downing and Helene King Downing. He was a graduate of Mount Hermon High School, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.

He started a private practice on Chapel Street in New Haven fresh out of residency, then joined the Yale Health Plan full time in 1981. He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha and the Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. In addition to his other accomplishments, he was an avid tennis player and won many trophies over the years.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia Sandridge Downing; his daughter Dr. Carol E. Downing and her husband Larry Weinstein of Virginia Beach, Va.; his sons Robert L. Downing and his wife Michele Kane of Hamden, Conn. and Charles E. Downing and his wife Anne M. Downing of Vineyard Haven; his grandchildren Rachel Downing and Lee Weinstein; his sister in law Jean P. Downing of Hamden, Conn.; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. Dr. Downing was predeceased by his sisters Eloise Allen and Gloria Pope and his brother Dr. Lylburn K. Downing.

Dr. Downing’s funeral service and interment will be private. Arrangements are in care of Beecher and Bennett Funeral Home in Hamden, Conn. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice. To send a condolence to his family online visit beecherandbennett.com.