Everything in the universe starts with thoughts and words
Jimmy Hammond
This past weekend, I attended the funeral of Reta Jean Lewis, the mother of our host/producer/co-CEO David V. Lewis. I greeted my friends and former coworkers and passed around the customary card for our group to sign at the event (I still don’t know how I get stuck with this responsibility). I proceeded to read the obituary to learn more about Ms. Lewis. I know of Ms. Lewis, but I never interacted with her. We both attended celebratory events in their family, but never had a chat. Ms. Lewis has some health challenges and David and I, along with our mentor Jimmy Hammond, shared stories of being a caregiver to our mothers and other family members in Hammond’s case. So, I knew a few stories involving Ms. Lewis. I started to read the obituary and noticed the mentioning of Freddie and Damien Crutcher. They were neighborhood friends of David and fellow Spartans (Go Green). I knew Crutcher’s and Lewis’ were close, but not mentioned-in-the-obituary close. She was literally Crutcher’s second mother. Freddie and Damien’s mother died while they were young.
By the time I finished reading the obituary, the program called for reflections from family and friends. The arbitrary two minutes is only a suggestion and is fine in theory; however, when people get a chance to express their love for someone that has had a profound impact on them, time stops for them. Usually, I look to our group to see who will speak on our behalf, but this time, I didn’t press it because the grand kids were eager to say their goodbyes to their grandma. Through their stories, I too remembered Grandmom’s house as the center of the universe where cousins would convene periodically, and the adventures were plentiful. Deon Jr. tried his hardest to make it through his remarks without crying or breaking his speech. He didn’t make it.
In Summary, Ms. Reta Jean Lewis was the neighborhood mom. She made cakes for the kids’ birthdays and everyone that spoke seemed to have a cookie in their hand in their story. Women like her is rare in her prime and darn near nonexistent today. So, what’s my relationship with Ms. Lewis now that I have gathered this information about her? It moved beyond just David’s mom. Yes, the foundation of David and his being was greatly influenced by her. That’s too easy to conclude. I sat back and observed all the excellence that came from that house on Moenart Street. From adopted kids, to play cousins, to blood relatives, all was affected by the love Reta Jean Lewis demonstrated. Clear from dementia and her other ailments, did she get to see her tapestry on screen as we celebrated her people? A conversation with my guy Krate Digga led to an idea that would be in honor of Ms. Lewis. While David mourns her loss and take care of the business of her death, as a tribute to Reta Jean Lewis, our Retro Replays for the month of December will be people she touched while she traversed through this world. There has not been a season that I can think of that one of her people was not represented. Watch out for them and I will have this blog attached to them.
Ms. Lewis, rest in peace, your legacy lives on through the people you touched.
Much love,
Shawn L. Smith
Dripping in Black
