Brisbane-based forensic engineer Bob Lewis, who frequently investigated claim causation for insurers and acted as an expert witness in disputes, died peacefully aged 93 on April 5.

Mr Lewis received his first forensic engineering investigation contract in the late 1970s when he was invited to an insurance industry lunch and advised a fellow guest on the mechanics of a building failure.

He became known for detailed investigations, appraisals and solutions across multiple disciplines.

Fond of AFL, long-distance running and squash, Mr Lewis founded Incode Engineers in 1989 where he was still MD until around ten years ago. He also coached elite swimmers, including daughter Sue who was a member of the 1972 Olympics Australian team, and he pioneered pools with currents to swim against.

An engineer with electrical and mechanical qualifications, Mr Lewis’s career started in 1950 in the oil industry in Victoria, the UK, Persian Gulf and US.

His Oil, Building and Industrial Engineers (OBIE) business designed auto franchise facilities for Ford and General Motors from 1969 to 1980, patenting a quick service pit facility installed in more than 110 dealerships.

OBIE also designed seaboard terminals for Ampol in Queensland and NSW, and bulk liquid facilities for BP, and Mr Lewis designed hotels, shopping centres, high-rises and a 2200-seat gothic cathedral in Tonga. He later founded Oil and Chemical Industries, which built Australia’s first recycled lube oil re-refinery.

Mr Lewis is survived by wife Debra, sons David and Robb, daughters Sue and Jen and stepsons Thomas and James.

“He was remarkable and those who worked with him are privileged,” Mrs Lewis said of her husband. “He displayed courage, enthusiasm and generosity.”

Mr Lewis’s funeral was held at the Centenary Memorial Gardens in Sumner, Brisbane on Friday.