The Lewis Family - Roy 'Pop' Lewis

Eulogy as delivered by Dr. Edward McCurry at Pop's funeral:

It is an honor to say a few words this afternoon about James Roy “Pop” Lewis. Over the years, I have just sort of adopted Pop as my grandfather and after my Daddy passed away, a father figure. For the last few days as I have thought about Pop and talked with family and friends, I have realized that it would take a book to tell everything that is important about Pop. Over the last 35 years, I have been privileged to attend hundreds of The Lewis Family’s concerts, to ride with them at times, and to be invited to many birthday and anniversary celebrations with Pop and the family. Well today too, is a celebration, as we celebrate a wonderful life of 98 and one-half years and one day on this earth and the eternal life into which Pop has entered.

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Born at the beginning of a century, living through the Great Depression and two World Wars and into a new century, it has been a long and rewarding life for Pop. Pop Lewis was an exceptional bluegrass gospel singer. Although I don’t think he realized it, he was a star. I of course, would say a superstar. He performed in 47 of the 50 states, in Canada and on bluegrass cruises. His ability was very evident from the many awards he received. His induction into the prestigious Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2000 was one of his great honors, as was his receiving of the 2003 Diamond Award for Lifetime Achievements in Gospel Music given by SGN Scoops. In 2001, the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame commissioned a portrait titled “Four Generations of Gospel” featuring Pop, his daughter Polly, his granddaughter Sheri, and his great-granddaughter Morgan, representing four performing generations of gospel music. In 1992 Pop and The Lewis Family were inducted into The Georgia Music Hall of Fame. These were the music industry’s recognition of his greatness. You do not have to know this in order to see his love for Bluegrass Gospel music. All you needed to do was to watch and listen to him on stage. You could see it in the expression on his face as he sung his songs. You could feel him reaching out to the audience, knowing he meant every word in that song. Many times he would say “sing with me, if you know the words”. Everyone who saw him on stage will never forget as he came out to perform “Just One Rose Will Do”. He would say “this song tells just how I feel about my friends”, and it did. How he'd rather have “just one rose from a garden of a friend” and how he rather have “a smile from someone I know is true”. George Younce sent a videotaped message to Pop at his 95th birthday celebration and said “Pop, here is song you taught me to love.” Then he sang these five words “Just One Rose Will Do” and said to Pop, “every time I hear that song; I can see your face.” I think every time we all hear that song; we will always see Pop’s smiling face. Pop knew the meaning of friendship and he had a countless number of friends. He gave exactly what that song says to his friends. It was truly how he felt about them. For all the years and all the concerts Pop would sing that song, it almost never failed that someone in the audience would bring him a rose. Pop ended up with a rose at just about every concert and sometimes dozens of them. Over the years Pop received thousands of roses. He should be in the Guinness Book of Records for the person that has received the most roses.

Pop enjoyed being on the road. He traveled for over 50 years as The Lewis Family made over 150 concert dates each year. This means he did over 7500 concerts performing for millions of people, and you could count on one hand the number shows he missed in that 50 years. This is the dedication of a truly professional performer. He looked forward to seeing his friends at each performance. When the bus rolled in to a concert, he was one of the first out and into the crowd. He enjoyed talking with his friends and making new ones. When you would look out across the people at the concert during intermission, you could see Pop among the people, talking, laughing and having a good time.

There were long bus rides between concerts. When the family would leave a show, Pop was one of the first to go to bed, and after a good night’s sleep he was the first up in the morning. While everyone else was still in bed, just now Little Roy driving, Pop would get up and I can hear him now, as he would be singing. Songs like “Me and Jesus” and “I Feel Like Traveling On.” After a song or two and nothing else happening, Pop would take his seat, pick up his harmonica that he always carried and then you would hear “Casey Jones”. It is nice to go back to days like that, if only in our memory, but that will last forever.

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Family was important to Pop Lewis and his family has a unique closeness. They have said it is almost as if they never left home. Pop and Mom were just one of them. With them all the time on the road it just seemed as if their parents were not aging, that they were just more the age of their children. Mom was the love of Pop’s life for over 77 years of marriage. In the last few years when they were unable to travel and they would sit side by side at home, sometimes Pop would lean over to Mom and sing “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and Mom would just laugh. He came by Mom at the table one day and said, “Do you still love me?” to which Mom replied, “If your name is Roy Lewis I do.” Pop was very witty, full of life and happy. Pop was so proud of all his children. I can remember the years I have heard Pop introduce his family on stage. He would always say, “these are my children and I’m proud of each one.” As you watched Pop introduce them one by one, you could see his pride in them show through each time he called their names. Pop would introduce Miggie then Polly and Janis. He would say about the girls, “she sings good and looks good.” Then it was to the other end of the stage for Wallace and Pop would say, “Here is the one who first started playing and singing.” Then last Pop would introduce Little Roy as “the greatest entertainer in whole the state of Georgia.”

I enjoyed sitting with Pop and getting him to talk about old times. I set a video camera up one time and had Pop talking about his life and family. He left Pickens at the age of five in 1910 and traveled by train to McCormick. He told of the first ice cream he ever ate that was at a stop on that trip.He traveled from McCormick to Lincolnton in a surrey crossing the Savannah River on a flat, what we would now call a ferry. And there was always that classic story of Pop stealing Mom out of the second story window and off to McCormick to get married. Pop amazed me at all he could do. During his lifetime he worked at many different jobs. Soon after he and Mom were married, Pop took an overseer’s job at a farm near Augusta. Then he got a truck and worked for a paving company. Later Pop would carry produce to stores on about a 100-mile route. He bought eggs when they were cheap and stored them to sell when the price increased. He said, “One time I had 10,000 cases of eggs.” Pop had a slaughterhouse for 20 years. He would go to sales and buy and sell livestock. He had a truck and moved people all over the place. He worked on the building of the Savannah River Plant called by people then the "The Bomb Plant".

Pop was always busy, never sick. He built The Lewis Family home place and did much of the work on building their present home and helped build the homes of most of his children. He enjoyed the land, having the first fish pond in Lincoln County and seeing things grow. Always with a big garden and out there on that Ford tractor. Little Roy would cut the grass and Pop would run the weed eater. I can see him now; his work clothes on, grass thrown all over him. He was all over the yard at Miggie’s and at Little Roy’s. Running that weed eater for hours. Sometimes a little too much, whacking some of Miggie’s flowers.

But you know, that most important thing to Pop was the Lord himself. I will never forget hearing Pop say so many times. “The Lord has been good to me”. And yes the Lord was good to Pop. He was blessed with a wife of over 77 years and a fine family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The songs Pop sang told of who he was and what he would want us to know. The last song Pop recorded was one of his favorites, “I Feel Like Traveling On”. We will never forget him singing the words to that song, but he could hardly sing when he recorded because he knew how true they were and he would get choked up. Those words were “the Lord has been so good to me, I feel like traveling on, until that blessed home I see, I feel like traveling on.” Pop sang “To My Mansion In The Sky” and in that song he tells us for today, “Now don’t be grieving because I’m leaving, and don’t you cry when I say goodbye. There’ll be no weeping where I’m going, to my mansion in the sky”. The first song Pop ever learned to sing when he was four-years-old was “Over Yonder By The Sea”. Pop recorded that song and sung it everywhere they traveled. Even as Pop was confined at home he would sing that song never missing a word. The song is so true, especially now, because it says, “I will be singing with the angels someday, over yonder by the sea” Well that someday is now, and today, Pop is singing with the angels over yonder by the sea. And in one of his other songs “Never Grow Old,” Pop would sing the first verse and then say “I like this next verse” and then he would sing these words. “When our work here is done and life’s crown is won, and our troubles and trials are over, all our sorrows will end and our voices will blend with those who have gone on before”. Then he would say, “Sing with me if you know the words.” “Never grow old, never grow old, in a land where we’ll never grow old.”

Three and half years ago we had a special celebration in Augusta honoring Pop and Mom. Pop had a wonderful time there with over 500 of his family and friends.

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Today we are celebrating the life of Pop Lewis, and don’t you know, Pop too is having a celebration like none other he has ever seen before. I can see him now, just like it is supposed to be. Pop and Mom, side by side, as they so liked to be especially in the later years, singing with the angels, in the presence of God, over yonder by the sea.

Pop, we must say for now, bye, see you later, we will miss those great times together, hearing you sing those old songs, playing your harmonica, hearing you tell about old times, and celebrating your birthdays with you, but it won't be long, it won't be too long, one by one, we too can join you and Mom in that greatest celebration of all, when we all come home to be with the Lord, forever.