Dan Lewis Anchors his Last KOMO Newscast

An era ended at KOMO/4 Wednesday night when longtime anchor Dan Lewis signed off for the last time.

Lewis, a 27-year veteran of KOMO’s anchor desk,announced his plan to step down in April.

He said the decision was about two years in the making.

Lewis, 64, took to the desk on some of the most difficult days at KOMO in recent years.

He reported the death of his nearly 25-year partner at the anchor desk, Kathi Goertzen, in August 2012, after her long battle with brain tumors. KOMO said it was “one of the most difficult days of his life.”

Lewis also canceled a trip to interview President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., and  rushed into the studio in March to tearfully cover the helicopter crash outside KOMO’s Fisher Plaza that killed two workers contracted by KOMO who were friends of the station.

Lewis landed at KOMO in 1987 after a tenure in Washington, D.C. In 1988, Goertzen joined him at the anchor desk, where the two helmed the nightly news together for nearly 25 years, with Steve Pool announcing the weather forecast.

KOMO says Lewis’ move is not a full retirement and that he will likely work on occasional special projects for the station. However, he reportedly intends to play a lot of golf.

Lewis received a lifetime achievement award from the Western Washington Society of Professional Journalists on Saturday.

His son, Tim, is a sports reporter for KOMO.

His last newscast aired at 11 p.m. Wednesday.