OCEAN CITY — As iconic as the ubiquitous T-shirts and apparel his family has sold for decades, local business owner and patriarch Lloyd Lewis passed away last Saturday at the age of 84.
Lewis, who oversaw the family’s growing M.R. Ducks operations along the bay at Talbot Street, could typically be found on his Talbot Street property watching the goings-on at the various family businesses along the waterfront, from the Talbot Inn to the famed M.R. Ducks gazebo bar, to the extended M.R. Ducks Grille, with its “duck” parties and live music.
For many outsiders, Lewis could often appear almost stoic as he oversaw the daily operations, but for those allowed inside, he was witty, charming and a prankster. Most importantly, he was the founder M.R. Ducks empire with his wife, Gail, and a father-figure to the legions of seasonal employees who worked for him over the years.
Several of his employees past and present fondly recalled Lewis this week. Throughout the recollections, the consistent theme was his sense of humor and again, perhaps more importantly, his fatherly advice to his generation of “kids.” Former bartender and manager Julie Schoenfelder recalled Lewis’ pranks.
“Mr. Lewis loved a good laugh,” she said. “I reminded him of one of the old housekeepers, so my nickname was Clementine. When I’d show up to work, he’d ask me where my sister was, which always got a chuckle from anyone around.”