Cedarhurst man killed in hit-and-run

A standing-room-only crowd of mourners gathered at Boulevard Riverside Chapels in Hewlett Tuesday morning to honor a Cedarhurst man who had lost his life five days earlier in a hit-and-run accident blocks from his Brooklyn dentist’s office.

Dr. Harry Lewner, who would have turned 59 this week, was remembered as a man who cared deeply for his family, developed a rapport with his patients and had a passion for classic rock music. "My dad was the epitome of a mensch," Lewner's son, Andrew, said at the funeral service. "He taught me the importance of treating others with kindness and respect."

Lewner died on the night of Dec. 17 when he was struck by two cars while he was crossing a busy Bay Ridge street near his office. The driver of a Kia that hit him first, Karissa McFaline, was arrested by New York City police for fleeing the scene of the accident, on Fourth Avenue near 79th Street. McFaline turned herself in to police an hour and a half later at the 7th Precinct on Manhattan's Lower East Side, an NYPD spokesman said. The driver of a Honda that also struck Lewner remained at the scene and was not charged.

Andrew Lewner's emotional eulogy touched on the numerous moments he enjoyed with his father. He recalled how his father took him to his first concert at the Nassau Coliseum when he was in sixth grade, to see the hard-rock band Whitesnake. "With my dad's death, I have not only lost a father but a best friend," he said.

Lewner's other son, Craig, described his father's commitment to family even as he and his brother grew older. That included driving from his Brooklyn office to Valley Stream after a long day of work to watch his sons play roller hockey when they were in their late 20s. "He always made us feel like kids no matter how old we were," said Craig. "I lost one of the most blessed people the world could ever know."

Lewner, who graduated with honors from Columbia University Dental School in 1978, had practiced in Bay Ridge since 1978. "Everything he accomplished was done his way, and his way was with compassion and kindness," said his brother-in-law, Harry Michael. "What he did in 59 years most people could not accomplish in 159 years."

The service was conducted by Rabbi Sholom Stern, spiritual leader of Temple Beth El, where Lewner was a longtime member. In addition to his sons, he is survived by his wife of 39 years, Eileen; daughters-in-law Nancy and Jennifer; grandchildren Ethan and Gabriel; and his parents, Joseph and Leah. Following the service, interment took place at Beth Moses Cemetery in

Farmingdale.