CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The hearts of a Clarksville reverend and his family continue to beat across three generations, nearly four decades after their tragic deaths. 

On July 5, 1981, the Rev. Roy L. Lewis and his relatives were traveling to Tullahoma. Lewis, 57 at the time, was preparing to give a trial sermon to a church that morning and was part of a three-car caravan to the southern Middle Tennessee area. 

Less than 5 miles from their Clarksville home, Lewis’ car skidded on the North Second Street bridge, causing the vehicle to careen into the Red River. Lewis, his wife Delores, their son Patrick, and his mother Laquel were all killed. 

The bridge – which was separated at the time of the incident – was restructured and named Lewis Memorial Bridge in honor of the reverend and his family.

On Saturday, July 3, family and friends traveled from as far as Tacoma, Washington to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the wreck that took four of their loved ones.

Many people today no longer remember that incident, which happened before most people in Clarksville were born.

“They don’t know the history,” said Schelese Lewis Ogburn, daughter of Roy Lewis. “They drive over the bridge every day and they see the name, but they don’t know the story behind it. To have an opportunity to come and show our young ones (and) our community that there (were) some really important people that we loved that (were) vital to the community, that we were able to share our love for them again.

“It hurts. It still stings, but God has just kept me.”

Organizing the event

Ogburn began coordinating the event with a phone call to Juanita Smith, another relative who lives in Florida. After a night spent in prayer, Smith contacted Gene and Joseph Lewis, two of the reverend’s six living siblings. 

“A lot of us (were) living away in the military or working out of the States, and to get the phone call that Sunday morning was devastating,” Joseph Lewis said. “Through the grace of God, we’ve been able to get through it for 40 years.”

The Saturday morning ceremony started with those in attendance walking across the bridge. The Clarksville Police Department closed one lane of traffic for the family, who has had multiple members serve within the department over the years. 

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts, Shirley Lewis, Ogburn, Gene Lewis and others then shared memories of those who died. A singing of the hymn “We’ve Come This Far by Faith,” a time of prayer and the laying of a commemorative wreath were also done in honor of the family. 

The event concluded with the dropping of four white roses into the Red River, signifying each person lost in the crash.

“It is so vital that we as a community respect and honor and love each other,” Ogburn said. “People matter, we matter, friends matter, work matters, jobs matter, everything matters; but we’re nothing without the other.”