John W. Lewis

West Point, 1989

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Trudy on October 4, 2009:

It was an honor for me to eulogize my husband, John, at our 20-year class reunion. If you were asked to name the things that come to your mind when you think of John Lewis... You might think of the squared away soldier who came to West Point after enlisting in the Army. The strac one with the striking military bearing and amazingly natural ability to lead. You might remember how he would help his fellow new cadets with shining shoes, polishing brass, and squaring away their uniforms. And how, as an upperclassman, he would take the time to help the underclassmen. You might think of his athletic skill, how he could run and run, and run fast. How unrelenting he was at team handball, how formidable an opponent he was at boxing, how after starving to make weight for 150s, how fierce and focused he was on the football field. You might think of the tall, proud man who was born to soldier, loved West Point, loved the Army, and led by example. He was proud to be an airborne, air assault, Ranger and wasn't shy about telling anyone. But chances are that when you think of John Lewis, you first remember that thousand-watt smile. I was with John for 22 years and obviously we took many, many pictures over those two decades. There are only a handful of pictures of him where he isn't beaming that big, beautiful, toothy smile. Many of you acknowledged John's smile in your notes and remembrances of him on his eulogy site. John's smile said many things: Let me take a second to brighten your day Don't worry, it'll be okay. I'm here to help. We can get through this. This sucks, but you can't beat me. I'm really enjoying this ice cream. If you think you can outrun me, you're in for a surprise. I love you. We feel cheated that John left us so soon but can reflect upon the warmth of that smile and feel the essence of an amazing man that we were so blessed to know.

admin