Obituaries : Tom Lewis, 86; Founder of Armed Forces Radio

Tom Lewis, the founder of Armed Forces Radio Service, which began linking GIs to the folks back home during World War II, died Friday at his home in Ojai. He was 86.

As an Army colonel, Lewis used his contacts in the entertainment industry to build the worldwide network from scratch.

“When he came on board, he said, ‘We want every GI in the world to be able to receive radio from home,’ ” recalled Robert Beusse, a longtime friend and business associate.

Lewis accomplished his goal.

Traveling throughout the world, Lewis selected transmission points to beam the broadcasts and encouraged stars from Hollywood and New York City to perform on the air. The network’s founder received a number of awards for his efforts, including the Legion of Merit and the Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Lewis, who produced many films and television programs during his career, also launched the Screen Guild Theater, a long-running radio program, in the 1930s. Profits from the show were used to start the Motion Picture and Television Country Home and Hospital in the San Fernando Valley.

Lewis was married to actress Loretta Young for 30 years before the couple was divorced in 1970. The couple created Lewislor Films Inc., which produced the Loretta Young Show for television.

Lewis leaves two sons, Peter Lewis of Santa Barbara and Christopher Lewis of Tulsa, Okla.; a daughter, Judy Lewis of Los Angeles, and a sister, Ruth Lewis of North Troy, N.Y.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Ojai. Another Mass will be said Thursday in Troy, N.Y., where he will be buried.