Friends and family mourn the loss of Wallace Lewis

WALLACE LEWIS

"I know I am bound for that beautiful city where I can feel His presence more clear. And when I get there, I will never more roam. I am longing to live in that bright city." - from "A Beautiful City," written by Wallace Lewis.

After spending most of his life on the road, James Wallace Lewis, 78, one of the founding members of the Lewis Family, is home at last in "that beautiful city."

Wallace passed away Wednesday, May 16, following a 12-year battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Most of us were missing Wallace long before he died. In 1995, he stopped touring with the Lewis Family due to the debilitating effects of his disease, and for the last three years, he was bedridden. He was no longer seen out in his beloved yard, planting shrubs, hauling rocks, and cutting grass.

If Wallace wasn't on the road, he was in the yard. In the early years, he would cut his entire four-acre spread with a Yazoo push mower. There was nothing self-propelled about it.

Along with those of us in Lincolnton, Wallace was also missed by bluegrass fans from coast to coast. A bluegrass festival is more than just music - it's catching up, swapping stories, and sharing the ups and down of life with old and new friends all over the country.

For Wallace, music, family, and friendship were all tied together. He dearly missed his fans and friends, who were sort of an extended family, and they missed him, all the way from Virginia to California.

During his career, Wallace and his family met many famous people and earned numerous honors and awards. The glitz and glamour may have amazed Wallace at times but they never phased him. He took it all in stride and never once considered buying a Rolex.

He was a good-hearted, hard working, God-fearing country boy who liked nothing better than spending time with his family, listening to old organ waltzes found in his extensive record collection, and eating ice cream. No matter what time Wallace got in from a road trip, he had to have at least one spoonful of ice cream before he went to bed.

Since Wallace preferred to listen instead of talk, many people were unaware that he had a wonderful sense of humor. Still, you had to listen fast because whatever he had to say probably wouldn't come around again.

Before the days of the big Lewis Family bus, recording studios, and wireless microphones, Wallace and his brothers, Esley and Talmadge, would travel around with their father, Roy "Pop" Lewis, playing at churches, candy pullings, ice cream suppers - wherever people got together. The group was known as the Lewis Brothers.

Eventually, Miggie, Janis, Polly, and "Little Roy" came along, and the family began traveling all over the United States and Canada, earning the title of "America's First Family of Bluegrass Gospel Music."

As they traversed the country, Wallace was the one the other family members depended on to get them where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be. He was the official navigator and knew the location of almost every gas station and eating establishment in the continental U.S.

It comes as no surprise that one of his most requested songs was "I'm Using My Bible for a Roadmap."

On stage, Wallace always stood to the right of Little Roy on the righthand side of the stage. He played rhythm guitar and occasionally sang lead. (continued on page 10A) Just prior to his brother's death, Little Roy told an audience, "Wallace stood right here beside me for 45 years, and I still miss him."

Wallace began playing the guitar at the age of 12, and he played it ever since, because as he once said, he didn't know how to play anything else.

In addition to playing the guitar, Wallace was a prolific songwriter, composing many of the songs sung by the Lewis Family. Favorites include "In Heaven" and "There's Never an Unguarded Moment." His songs were also recorded by other artists such as the Oak Ridge Boys and Carl Story.

Wallace Lewis definitely left his mark on the music world, but his most important legacy was one of the heart. He was a quiet, patient man whose gentleness had a profound impact on the lives of his family and friends. He never rushed to judgment, always giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Wallace loved God, and instead of talking about Him, he sang his faith and led by example. One of his sons vividly remembers how his father would sit under the light at the end of the kitchen table reading his Bible.

Although the sting of Wallace's death is still fresh and there is much grieving yet to be done, he said it best when he wrote: "I will be in Heaven I know, with all my loved ones who have gone on before, so don't weep, don't cry…my life will then begin with Jesus, my great Redeemer and all my friends."

Regular obituary information appears on page 2A.