Rest in Peace, Jameslewis

Hearing this hurts. Thank you so much, Gev, for letting us know.
I liked James, he was kind and funny. We shared stories about raising sons a time or two. RIP James, you are missed.

You're welcome. It hurt to post it and it hurts to read through this thread. But he had all touched our lives with words, pictures or messages. I knew he would want me to honor him this way, he was a very caring person with a beautiful soul.
 
RIP James

You were a true friend in a time of need...always there with a kind word...always willing to offer a shoulder to lean on...You are a true gentleman and one of the good ones here. :rose:

Anytime I see your Ducks play...I will think of one of their biggest fans.

You will be missed. :(
Yes that's right, he is a Ducks fan. I remember a few conversations we had about their uniforms. I'll have to root for them further next season.
 
Hmmmm...
Sad news. He had such great threads. Like folks above said, a true gentleman.
My condolences to those that were close to him.
 
GEV,

I am sorry for your loss. James was a great guy. I didn't have a lot of interactions with him, but the ones I did have were always very pleasant. We both shared a love of the outdoors and I will remember him for that.

Once again GEV, I am sorry for your loss and James will be missed here on Lit and every where else. RIP
 
Such devastating news. He was one of the kindest, warmest and funniest men I’ve known. This place, and this world are greater for having had him in it and much, much less having lost him to the next one.

Vale JL.

I was devastated myself reading about his passing, more so because I felt something was amiss with everything that I was feeling. I know it was him telling me of his passing. So it was only right to share that with all of you. He was a friend to a lot of us.

This world lost a wonderful man.
 
Hmmmm...
Sad news. He had such great threads. Like folks above said, a true gentleman.
My condolences to those that were close to him.

His threads were funny, inspiring and all around touching to everyone in its own way. He had that ability, to reach out to you, to lift your spirits with one simple message.
 
GEV,

I am sorry for your loss. James was a great guy. I didn't have a lot of interactions with him, but the ones I did have were always very pleasant. We both shared a love of the outdoors and I will remember him for that.

Once again GEV, I am sorry for your loss and James will be missed here on Lit and every where else. RIP

Thank you.

He did love the outdoors, I have a few pics saved from a trip that he took one summer that he shared with me.

And he will be missed but we still have him in our memories.
 
While James Lewis may not have contributed to this forum in recent times, and sadly never will again, his presence will remain.

Thank you GEV for giving the Lit community a chance to reflect and celebrate this remarkable man. A friend to many and a gentleman of Lit, he played his part here with grace, humour and a good dash of lustful longings. While he loved still waters, in him, they ran deep. He lived life to find joy, peacefully, but sometimes adventurously, too.

My heart is heavy with this news but I will remember James Lewis fondly and be ever grateful, as will many others, for his friendship, wise counsel and support.

I am sorry for your loss, GEV:rose::heart:
 
Thank you, Bitesback, for your kind words here and in the private message. I was completely devastated when I read of his passing, more so because I felt something inside of me. I felt that empiness that only he filled as a friend on here and in real life.

I have taken the day off and I will be attending his celebration of life at his Alma Mater on Sunday. I need the closure, I need to say goodbye to my friend. And if no one minds, I would like to share it with all of you when I return.

He will forever live on in our hearts, we will all treasure him in our own way. We will remember him for the kind, loving gentle man that he was.

And I will always see his smiling face on my bookshelf.
 
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Please do share, not only to celebrate his life with us here, but as another way for you to hold him in your heart.

Our thoughts will be with you on Sunday.
 
It started out as a foggy day today as I drove to Willamette University, Jameslewis's Alma Mater, but when I finally arrived the fog had burned off and it turned into a beautiful day.

His service was held in Cone Chapel in one of the oldest buildings on the campus. I sat in the back of the chapel, there wasn't an empty seat. The room was filled with his family, his friends and his students. It was a time for laughter and a time for tears as we all reflected back on the lives that he had touched, stories from his siblings and from his students. He had a true love of teaching and making sure his students did the best that they could do. He had a great love for the outdoors, whether it was fishing, rafting, kayaking or skiing and he loved to share that with his brothers and his son.

He was the second born of four and his parents didn't think that he was ever going to talk, but when he finally did, it was in complete sentences with proper grammar. Such an over achiever.

He had fallen ill on November 2nd and had to quit teaching. I am going to respect him and his dignity and not go into any more details.

I felt that it wasn't proper to go to the reception so I quietly left the chapel, sat down outside and had a moment of silence to myself as more tears, probably not the last, fell from my eyes for my best friend.

As I drove home in silence, the setting sun making the sky a deep red, I grieved the loss of my friend one last time.

You were a true angel on Earth and you finally earned your wings and flew home.

You will be missed more than you know. Be with God and fish till your heart is content.
 

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It started out as a foggy day today as I drove to Willamette University, Jameslewis's Alma Mater, but when I finally arrived the fog had burned off and it turned into a beautiful day.

His service was held in Cone Chapel in one of the oldest buildings on the campus. I sat in the back of the chapel, there wasn't an empty seat. The room was filled with his family, his friends and his students. It was a time for laughter and a time for tears as we all reflected back on the lives that he had touched, stories from his siblings and from his students. He had a true love of teaching and making sure his students did the best that they could do. He had a great love for the outdoors, whether it was fishing, rafting, kayaking or skiing and he loved to share that with his brothers and his son.

He was the second born of four and his parents didn't think that he was ever going to talk, but when he finally did, it was in complete sentences with proper grammar. Such an over achiever.

He had fallen ill on November 2nd and had to quit teaching. I am going to respect him and his dignity and not go into any more details.

I felt that it wasn't proper to go to the reception so I quietly left the chapel, sat down outside and had a moment of silence to myself as more tears, probably not the last, fell from my eyes for my best friend.

As I drove home in silence, the setting sun making the sky a deep red, I grieved the loss of my friend one last time.

You were a true angel on Earth and you finally earned your wings and flew home.

You will be missed more than you know. Be with God and fish till your heart is content.


(((((((((GEV))))))))) :heart:


Thank you, kindly.
 
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Mary Elizabeth Frye
 
I am so sorry for your loss. I did not know him as I have only been here about a year and just recently started visiting the forums, but he sounds lovely just from your description alone.

I won't say time heals all wounds but I do follow this feeling:
4686d2e72414d8d7757ce3ed5ecbbed6.jpg

1dd29de2064ee9e3b8512603a073ff5e.jpg
 
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Mary Elizabeth Frye

Thank you so much for that touching poem. I was trying to find it myself but I couldn't.

He will forever be in my heart, he will never leave me.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. I did not know him as I have only been here about a year and just recently started visiting the forums, but he sounds lovely just from your description alone.

I won't say time heals all wounds but I do follow this feeling:
View attachment 2040122

View attachment 2040123

Thank you. He was a true unwavering friend especially to me and several others here. He touched a lot of lives with his unselfish giving.
 
It started out as a foggy day today as I drove to Willamette University, Jameslewis's Alma Mater, but when I finally arrived the fog had burned off and it turned into a beautiful day.

His service was held in Cone Chapel in one of the oldest buildings on the campus. I sat in the back of the chapel, there wasn't an empty seat. The room was filled with his family, his friends and his students. It was a time for laughter and a time for tears as we all reflected back on the lives that he had touched, stories from his siblings and from his students. He had a true love of teaching and making sure his students did the best that they could do. He had a great love for the outdoors, whether it was fishing, rafting, kayaking or skiing and he loved to share that with his brothers and his son.

He was the second born of four and his parents didn't think that he was ever going to talk, but when he finally did, it was in complete sentences with proper grammar. Such an over achiever.

He had fallen ill on November 2nd and had to quit teaching. I am going to respect him and his dignity and not go into any more details.

I felt that it wasn't proper to go to the reception so I quietly left the chapel, sat down outside and had a moment of silence to myself as more tears, probably not the last, fell from my eyes for my best friend.

As I drove home in silence, the setting sun making the sky a deep red, I grieved the loss of my friend one last time.

You were a true angel on Earth and you finally earned your wings and flew home.

You will be missed more than you know. Be with God and fish till your heart is content.

Thank you for sharing this with us. :rose::rose::rose:
 
It started out as a foggy day today as I drove to Willamette University, Jameslewis's Alma Mater, but when I finally arrived the fog had burned off and it turned into a beautiful day.

His service was held in Cone Chapel in one of the oldest buildings on the campus. I sat in the back of the chapel, there wasn't an empty seat. The room was filled with his family, his friends and his students. It was a time for laughter and a time for tears as we all reflected back on the lives that he had touched, stories from his siblings and from his students. He had a true love of teaching and making sure his students did the best that they could do. He had a great love for the outdoors, whether it was fishing, rafting, kayaking or skiing and he loved to share that with his brothers and his son.

He was the second born of four and his parents didn't think that he was ever going to talk, but when he finally did, it was in complete sentences with proper grammar. Such an over achiever.

He had fallen ill on November 2nd and had to quit teaching. I am going to respect him and his dignity and not go into any more details.

I felt that it wasn't proper to go to the reception so I quietly left the chapel, sat down outside and had a moment of silence to myself as more tears, probably not the last, fell from my eyes for my best friend.

As I drove home in silence, the setting sun making the sky a deep red, I grieved the loss of my friend one last time.

You were a true angel on Earth and you finally earned your wings and flew home.

You will be missed more than you know. Be with God and fish till your heart is content.

I am so glad you went.

Thank you so much for sharing this.

:heart::heart::heart:

May God wrap you, his family, his friends and his students in loving arms as you grieve for the loss of a beautiful man.
 
I am so glad you went.

Thank you so much for sharing this.

:heart::heart::heart:

May God wrap you, his family, his friends and his students in loving arms as you grieve for the loss of a beautiful man.

Thank you. I needed to go for the closure, needed to say goodbye to my friend. He had influenced a lot of his students, had pushed me to publish my book.

He meant so much to a lot of people.
 
And your reflections in this thread, GEV, mean much to those who came to know JamesLewis here.
Thank you for sharing with us some of the service for him. I'm not at all surprised that the room was filled and that there were many paying tribute but it's lovely for you to have been there and to tell us.

I hope the good memories you have of your friend and his life, and those you now hold from the service will provide some comfort as you reflect upon his absence.:rose:
 
And your reflections in this thread, GEV, mean much to those who came to know JamesLewis here.
Thank you for sharing with us some of the service for him. I'm not at all surprised that the room was filled and that there were many paying tribute but it's lovely for you to have been there and to tell us.

I hope the good memories you have of your friend and his life, and those you now hold from the service will provide some comfort as you reflect upon his absence.:rose:

Thank you for your kind words.

And thanks to each and everyone of you that took the time to read, the time to post and time to send me a message.

Even though we only see each other in passing, see the avatar, there is a person behind that screen. Some touch your lives for just a moment and some touch your lives forever. Yes, this is just a online place, but when that online connection because something special and you take it into the real world, it becomes something so much stronger, so much better.

Friendships come and go and some will stay with you till your very last breath. We will always carry that person, that friendship in our hearts. It hurts like hell to lose a friend, especially one that showed you so much compassion, so much love and touched you so deep inside that you knew there was a physical connection that can never be explained.

Even after that person pushes you out of their life, you come to realize that it was for love, so you wouldn't have to go through this pain, so they won't have to be an emotional burden to you. But still that person has a way to reach you, to stir up feelings inside you, make you wonder why you are feeling a certain way, doing certain things that you can't explain. And that is when you realize that they are still with you, still in your​ mind, still in your heart even after they have left this Earth.

I would never have known that jameslewis had passed if it wasn't for that connection, knowing that his feelings for me were ones of love even though he never spoke the words to me. He was an amazing man and a wonderful friend with a gentle, giving soul that gave unselfishly.

He is and always will be my best friend. He showered me with compassion when I needed it most and with that came an unspoken love for each other. I know I will never get to feel those strong arms and hands again but they will always be wrapped around me, holding me tight.

Rest in peace my beloved friend. I will carry you in my heart forever.
 
This is very sad information. I loved seeing his posts and interacting with him. He was kind enough to give me advice a few times as well. He was quintessential. May he rest in peace.

Thank you for sharing the news and your poem GEV. Hugs!
 
This is very sad information. I loved seeing his posts and interacting with him. He was kind enough to give me advice a few times as well. He was quintessential. May he rest in peace.

Thank you for sharing the news and your poem GEV. Hugs!

You're welcome. He was an angel on Earth.
 
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