Frank W. Lewis

Frank Waring Lewis (August 25, 1912 – November 18, 2010) was an American cryptographer and cryptic crossword compiler. His puzzles were printed in The Nation for over 60 years, for a total of 2,962 puzzles.

Personal life and career Lewis was born on August 25, 1912, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1969, he retired with his wife to the Caribbean, but they relocated to Massachusetts after the eruption of the Montserrat volcano.

He died on November 18, 2010, at age 98. He was survived by his wife of 74 years, Sylvia (née Shosteck) (October 7, 1915 - August 11, 2013).

Puzzles Lewis discovered British-style cryptic crosswords while stationed during the war at the Bletchley Park code-breaking station in England. When The Nation started running his puzzles every other week instead of weekly starting in 2008, the public outcry was so great it resumed printing the puzzles weekly. Lewis published his last puzzle in The Nation in December 2009, after which the magazine began reprinting old ones. After Lewis's death, the magazine continued to reprint old puzzles while it searched for a new puzzle setter.

Works