A senior journalist with the East London Daily Dispatch, Lew Elias, has died. His wife, Liesl, said Elias, who had been diagnosed with cancer about three months ago, passed away at his East London home at about 6am on Sunday November 12.
”He died at home. There was no pain or anything, but he has been out of it for the past three days. He was not really feeling too well,” said Liesl.
Elias (58) was described by his wife and a colleague as a person with a love for writing and a passion for cooking. ”He was a highly imaginative news editor, he was an amazing disaster reporter and a great cook,” a former editor of the East London Daily Dispatch, Gavin Stewart, said.
Elias travelled extensively and had all sorts of jobs around the world, including that of a taxi driver and a chef. But, he was not always the easiest person to work with, said Stewart. ”I’m sure all his colleagues will agree with me. He was an amazing writer.”
Elias joined the East London Daily Dispatch in 1994.
He served as a sub-editor as well as the news editor of the newspaper. He was also the founding editor of the city’s community newspaper called Go and Express.
Before joining the newspaper Elias worked at the South African Press Association, at the Hong Kong Standard and for a radio station in the Mediterranean. He also reported for the Sunday Times, the Rand Daily Mail and the Cape Times.
He married his wife — advertising chief at the Daily Dispatch — 12 years ago. ”We were friends for many years and then we decided to get married. Those 12 years were wonderful. He was the most laid back and one of the kindest people I know,” said Liesl.
She said Elias always lived life to the full and refused to listen to doctors. ”Every now and then he’d have serious black moods, but he was a great guy who never did anything in half measures,” said Liesl.
She said he was also known for his love of good food and wine.
Liesl and Lew did not have any children together, but he did have a son and a daughter. His daughter, Monica (38), lives in Cape Town and his son, Brendan (36), lives in Johannesburg.
Lew’s full name was Lewis, but he was more popularly known as Lew. — Sapa