Afrodite “Didi” Lewnes

Afrodite E. Lewnes, age 70, of Wayne passed away Tuesday, January 13, 2026, with her sisters Olga and Mary and her goddaughter Ashley Talarico Welp and Ashley’s sister Alyssa Talarico-Tamburri by her side. She was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Sofie (Chilakos) Lewnes, her grandparents, and numerous aunts and uncles. She was a Class of 1973 Wayne Valley High School graduate and went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. Afrodite had a long career in graphic design and as a print production manager at various companies, including Sanofi, from which she retired in 2015.

She was fun, creative, always up for a new adventure or idea, compassionate, empathetic, kind and generous. She was passionate about current events and was active in the Wayne Democratic Club. She had a gift for making friends and had many throughout her life – friends who became her family and their families welcomed her into theirs.

Her passion in life was life itself and pursuing her interests in art and travel. She was an award-winning artist whose work was quirky, modernistic, and fantastical. She self-published a children’s book Errol’s Tail, a story of a mouse with a very long tail that led to his adventures, which she wrote and illustrated. She spent many afternoons exploring museums and art installations in New York City. She traveled across the globe, visiting art museums and historic sites including Alaska; St. Petersburg, Russia; Paris, France; Greece; England; Florence and Rome, Italy; Bali, Indonesia; the pyramids and treasures of Egypt; and Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Jordan.

Please consider a memorial gift to one of the organizations for which she cared - the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City (https://www.metmuseum.org/), World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org/) or the St. George Greek Orthodox Church, Clifton, NJ (https://www.stgeorgeclifton.org/).