Lewis B. Thurston III, 89, of Lawrenceville, died peacefully on May 5, 2026.

He was a dedicated public servant, serving as the former Chief Operating Officer of the Garden State Parkway, Chief of Staff to former Governor Tom Kean, and former Chief Administrative Officer of the Meadowlands Sport Complex. During his 35-year career with N.J. state government he also served as Executive Director of the N.J. Senate and Director of the N.J. Election Law Enforcement Commission. Over his career he served in the administration of six governors, Republicans Bill Cahill, Tom Kean and Christie Whitman and Democrats Richard Hughes, Brendan Byrne and Jim Florio.  He also served as an adjunct professor at Kean University and Rutgers University, teaching graduate courses in public management, policy analysis, ethics and conflict resolution. At the Parkway he led the effort to install the EZ Pass toll collection system.

Lew grew up in Bergen County and, in early life, spent summers at the family home on Beaver Lake in Sussex County. He obtained a BA from Colgate University, an MA from the Eagleton Institute of Rutgers University and attended the University of Virginia Law School, deciding after one year not to be an attorney.  Lew’s hobbies included music, sports, teaching, poker, and poetry. Jazz and classical music were a big part of his everyday life and he enjoyed playing the piano and the trombone as a founding member and long-time president of the Lawrence Community Concert Band. 

He enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, N.Y. Giants, and the San Antonio Spurs. In golf he never lived long enough to shoot his age, but sure came close.  He will be missed by his Monday night Lawrenceville poker buddies.

In the Mercer County community he enjoyed teaching English as a Second Language for the Literacy Volunteers of Mercer County and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, delivering Meals on Wheels, volunteering for Interfaith Caregivers, and serving as president of Lawrenceville Main Street civic association. He served as a deacon, elder and trustee of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. 

Lew was very happily married to his wife and best friend, Mary Jane (Freriks) Thurston for 53 years until her passing in 2019. They moved to Lawrenceville in 1967.  In their later years they traveled extensively, one of the many ways Lew was always learning something new. He was a dedicated and engaged father who encouraged his daughters in all their pursuits and took great pride in their accomplishments. He loved being a grandfather and attending his grandchildren’s plays, concerts, meets, games, and graduations. He was blessed to live long enough to see them grow into young adults.

Lew is survived by his brother Barry Thurston Sr. and his family of Los Angeles, CA, daughters and their spouses; Linda Thurston (Tom Cunniff) of Mt. Prospect, IL, Karen Thurston (David Lillis) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Jill Pierantozzi (Brad) of Groton, MA, and eight grandchildren (Beth Cunniff, Cassie Cunniff, Julia Cunniff, Jake Lillis, Sophia Lillis, Aidan Pierantozzi, Gabe Pierantozzi, and Micah Pierantozzi). He proudly wrote a family memoir for his grandchildren in 2016. 

A memorial service to celebrate Lew’s life will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville.

Relatives and friends may visit with the family on Friday, June 12, 2026 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, 650 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.

To send condolences to the family, please visit poulsonvanhise.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Homefront homefrontnj.org or Meals on Wheels mealsonwheelsmercer.org.