In memory of
LEWIS CALVIN "LEW" DeWITT
Born: March 12, 1938, Roanoke, Virginia
Best remembered as: Original tenor for country music group the Statler Brothers, from their heyday in 1964 until 1982. He wrote their first hit, "Flowers On The Wall."
Solo albums: On My Own (1985), Here To Stay (1986). Both are now out of print and have never been reissued on CD.
Favorite drink: Country Time Lemonade
Died: August 15, 1990, Waynesboro, Virginia
Cause of death: Chron's Disease, an intestinal inflammatory condition
Gravesite: None; his ashes are kept at his home in Waynesboro
Survived by: Wife, Judy; children (from previous marriage), Denver, Donna, Brian, Shannon
Quotes from songs he sang with the Statlers:
"Thank you, world, for lettin' me contribute to the cause." (Thank You World, 1974)
"And should I live again, even then, it won't end, for I'll go to my grave lovin' you." (I'll Go To My Grave Loving You, 1975)
"Someday when it's all over, and they come to carry me, and you're walkin' slow and wearin' black with the rest of the family..." (Some I Wrote, 1977)
"Life is like a mountain railroad with an engineer that's brave; we must make the run successful from the cradle to the grave." (Life's Railway To Heaven, 1982)
"When Elvis died, we all knew that we could too." (Child Of The 50s, 1982)