Lisa Lewis

Lisa Baldwin Lewis unexpectedly passed away on Sunday, March 29th. A Raleigh native, she was born November 30th, 1962, to the late Libby and Bill Lewis.

Lisa spent 45 years in the service industry, most notably behind the bar at the legendary music club, the Brewery, as the bar manager at Mitch’s Tavern, and eventually as co-owner of the Berkeley Cafe. Her time at the Berkeley was a perfect intersection of her love of music and being in the service industry. A champion of local music, Lisa had a great ear for rising local talent, and took great pleasure in watching musicians, some as young as 12 years old, grow into touring acts.

Everyone who was fortunate enough to meet Lisa knows that she had one of the most generous hearts of anyone they’d ever met. She never met a stranger in need that she couldn’t help in any way she possibly could. She was righteous in her belief that you never knew exactly what someone was going through, and that everybody deserves a chance. That generous heart also belonged to one of the biggest pet lovers of all time. She loved all of her animals with everything she had, and all of her cats, dogs, and even a finch, were lucky to have lived in such a caring home. A lifelong lover of the sun, a good book, and a body of water, we know that she’s currently reading under a cloudless sun, on a nice 80 degree day, either by the pool, or at the beach, surrounded by all of her pets, with a cold beer, and the biggest grin you’ve ever seen.

Lisa is survived by her sister, Michele Lewis Lee and her husband Chris of Cary, North Carolina, her nephew Justin Sorrell and his wife Jeanette Reyes of Raleigh, North Carolina and her niece Courtney Sorrell of Cary, North Carolina.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2026 and will feature some of her favorite local musicians. Location and time coming soon.