SHAWSVILLE, Va. – Dozens of people came together Saturday to honor the life of a Roanoke man who dedicated his life to serving the community.
Paying tribute, family and friends sang together to honor the life of John Lewis, who died when he was 37. He was a servant to the community and left an impact on everyone he knew.
In 2016, Lewis returned to Roanoke to run the Apple Ridge Farm to enrich and educate underserved children. It’s a passion that his friend, Cosha Gordon, said will be seen across generations.
“Starting these urban gardens and getting kids to learn how to connect with their food, nature and plants, and just the world around them,” Gordon said.
Lewis partnered with Gordon and Maya Eittah to create Sol River Homestead to host outdoor activities to provide communal healing and reconnection; it’s a vision that came true in his name.
“He said, ‘If something ever happens to me, if I passed, one thing I would love is for my friends and family to finish what I couldn’t,’” Eittah said.
Finishing his work, Gordon and Eittah are renovating a small home with the goal of transforming it into a healing center. The project is expected to be completed by August.