“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Dear brothers and sisters,
Our brother and elder, Lewis Livingstone, faithfully finished his race on the night of Sunday, November 2, 2025. He was a devoted follower of Christ for 50 years. Lewis’s love for his family is cherished by his wife of 18 years, Tosan, their four daughters – Rachael, Sarah, Hannah, and Biju –their two sons-in-law, Timi and Jason, and five beloved grandchildren.
Lewis was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, and moved to the United States to attend college in Florida. As a chemical engineering student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Lewis committed his life to the discipleship of Jesus while being part of the Crossroads Church of Christ campus ministry in 1975. It was there that he met and, in 1980, married the late Shirley Brown, a fellow disciple of Christ, nursing student, and proud Gator.
From Gainesville, they lived briefly in Chicago, IL, and in Dallas, TX – the birthplace of their three children, Rachael, Sarah, and Hannah – before settling in New Jersey. The family lived in New Jersey and built deep bonds in the Metro Region of the New York City Church of Christ for 17 years, before Shirley faithfully finished her race in 2004. Lewis remained in New Jersey, where he forged a loving relationship with Tosan Nanna and her daughter, Biju, and married Tosan in 2007. Lewis and Tosan loved showing hospitality, regularly inviting friends and neighbors to share meals and fellowship. Together, they shepherded members of the New York City Church of Christ (NYCCOC), where Lewis served as an elder from 2009 until he retired from his career as a project manager in 2020. In the summer of 2020, the couple moved back to Lewis’s home, Jamaica.
In Jamaica, Lewis was finally able to spend more time doing what he loved, deepening his understanding of the Bible, reflecting on past experiences to share new insights, mentoring other disciples, and traveling. Lewis and Tosan’s love for the country, the church, and the people fueled their desire to serve tirelessly and wholeheartedly. As a result, Lewis was selected to serve as one of the first appointed elders in the Caribbean churches. He fulfilled this role with passion and helped identify and advocate for the need to appoint Jamaican and Caribbean elders. He encouraged the Caribbean leaders to recognize that their churches had the ability to appoint local elders from among their own members, because, along with the Holy Spirit, they possessed great wisdom, faith, and experience to guide them.
His passion extended beyond the call of duty and beyond the borders of the United States and Jamaica. Leaders of the Caribbean and Nigerian churches relied on him for advice and guidance, as he served on the boards of both the Caribbean Missions Society and the Africa Missions Association. Over the years, he developed strong relationships with disciples in these churches and had several opportunities to visit and teach in Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, Trinidad, St. Thomas, Barbados, Guyana, and other countries. He was clearly not only a Jamaican citizen but a citizen of the Kingdom of God, with his mind set on things above.
He fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. May he now receive the crown of righteousness promised to all who wait for the Lord in faith. Please pray for Tosan, Rachael, Sarah, Hannah, Biju, Timi, Jason, the grandchildren, extended family members, and dear friends as we mourn with those who mourn. Memorial services will be held in Jamaica and New Jersey to celebrate his life in early 2026. To stay informed about upcoming plans for these services, please send an email with your name to [email protected].
A note from the Elders Service Committee:
Lewis and Tosan were added to the Elders Service Committee in March 2025. They volunteered to serve on the Youth and Family Subcommittee of the ESC. Although they were with us for only a short time, they were tremendous additions to our group and shone brightly in every area to which they contributed. They were excited to come to Florida for the leadership conference in October to be with the group in person. However, just a few weeks before the conference, Lewis received a diagnosis of an aggressive metastatic cancer and passed away six weeks later. He will be dearly missed.
