Larry gates played H.B. Lewis the matriarch of the Lewis family from 1981 until his death in 1996. Larry gaves us a lot of memories and a lot of laughs. And he will not soon be forgotten.
Rest in Peace
Guiding Light Recently aired a memorial service for HB Lewis below you will find the speech's each charecter made in his memory......
Harlan Billy Lewis II
Folks we are here today in memory of Harlan Billy Lewis. He loved his family, he loved his friends and I am glad glad to see a lot of his family's here. I was kind of hopeing to see my sister Trish, but I quess she couldnt get a plane on time (at that moment Trish walks in). Well the three Lewises are under one roof again, I'm just sorry that it took Daddy's passing to get us together. We decided to have this memorial service here in Springfield because Daddy spent his last years here and he loved it so much. And umm, tomorrow we are going to take him up to Cross Creek and bury him under his favorite elm tree right next to his beloved wife Miss Martha our mother, and umm well I've been trying to think of a story that I could tell you that would give you my views of my Dad. And I've been thinking of a lot of them but most of them are to off colored to tell in this Church. But while I was doing it one conversation that he had with me kept flooding into my mind, I had gotten off the track as you know I can do and umm a matter fact I'd gotten really out there.Flashback to a scene in the country clubHB: I Love You Billy, every bit as much as I love Trish and Josh maybe more.
Billy: Why?
HB: Because Im an old fool, and because Joshua and Trish without exception grew up by the book. But you..you had to do everything the hard way. Maybe thats why your wins mean more to me
Billy: Well I sure aint winning now
HB: No you aint and I aint about to sugarcoat what you did to our company. You messed up real bad and it aint the first time. My Daddy always use to say that any man who is worth anything is bigger then his checkbook, that's you Billy and sont you forget it.
Billy: Yes sir
HB: And dont think this gets you out of the woodshed cause it dont. Im madder then hell at you Billy and you know why. Because your one of the best men I've ever know and dont you forget that you hear.
I just want to Thank You Daddy for hanging around long enought to let me win your trust back and you were right you cant love yourself if you cant face yourself in the mirror. And loving yourself and your family and your friends are the most important things in the world. Just after I was born my Daddy told me that he came up to te little crib I was in and look down at me and said boy this is a very important day for me. Because it is the first day of your most precious life. And I just want you to know that you willnever be alone, because I know that I will never be alone now. He loved me when I was a boy, he loved me when I was a man, he even helped me love when I was a parent. But the person that I think Im going to miss the most is the person that I called my friend. I Loved you HB see you around old friend.
Harlan Billy Lewis III
My favorite memory of Grampa HB is also my favorite memory of Grampa Henry. We were sitting around just talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up.
Flashback to a scene on the porch
Ben: What did you want to be a long time ago when you were growing up?
Henry: I wanted to be a fireman
HB: Me (made a pirate laugh) to be a pirate. Well I've always been a kind of pirate.
Henry: Im still putting out fires.
Little Bill: But how do you know whats the right thing for you?
HB: Ahh Billy boy your still young you've got lots of time.
I quess its to bad that Grampa Henry never became a fireman and Grampa HB wasnt a pirate. I'll tell you one thing Im sure glad I got to be there grandson.
Reva Shayne
I dont quite know where to start. HB Lewis has been in my life longer then just about anybody. Lord knows he recognized me as a fellow sinner, I quess maybe thats why we got along so well. He...always respected me, and he taught me how to respect myself even... well even when I'd hit rock bottom he taught me to keep my head up high and I dont know if Im ever going to be able to repay him for that, but I promise you old man I will love and cherish your son and your grandchildren and umm thats (at this point she breaks down crying and can not talk anymore)
Vanessa Chamberlain Lewis
For as long as I can remember HB was my Daddy's closest friend and in time he became my father in law, my mentor, my confidant and my friend. I loved him and I'll miss him greatly. But as I look around this room I cant help but smile cause I see his dear friends and his family and I realize he is not gone. He will always be with us, because he is in his children. He's in you Billy, and Trish, Josh. And his wonderfull grandchildren Bill, Mindy, Dylan, Marah, Shayne. So I quess its time to say Thank You HB for all of them. And as my father would say Thank you for haveing existed. Sleep Well HB. Rest in Peace.
Marah Lewis
The day after Grandpa died mama and daddy were asking me and Shayne what was the most important thing we learned from him. Shayne made a long list, but I, I couldnt do it. There were lots of things to write but I wanted to think of the one special, best thing that he ever taught me and here it is. He taught me how to jump the waves. Every Year my grandfather would take us to the Ocean. And even when we lived in Europe he would come for a visit and take us to the Italian Riveara. I was to little to swim real good. But Grandpa would hold my hand and let me walk into the water up to my knees, my waist and finally my shoulders when I got brave enough. A couple of times I got knocked down by the waves. But Grandpa taught me how not to get knocked down. And if the waves didnt break no matter how high it was, you could just jump right over it. And after the wave breaks all you have to do is hold your nose and duck way down under the water until it passes over you and then you come up for air like nothing ever happened. Thats the best thing he ever taught me so I thought I would tell you. Oh yeah ever since he taught me I havent got knocked down once. It was a great thing to learn, I havent got knocked down one time.
Josh Lewis
We all learned alot from HB. My brother Billy over there as we've already heard learned how to believe in himself. And my sister Trish, my niece Mindy two of the most beautifull women on the face of the earth, he taught them how to be exactly that. How to be beutifull but not just on the outside but on the inside, which they are. and Reva and Me (at this point something happened to my TV it comes back in here. Sorry) Marah was absolutly right on when she told us her story of what she learned from HB. HB showed us all how to jump the waves, didn't he darling. He most certainly did. The last time I saw my father was when he was sick. Billy and I, we flew out to, over to Europe we were both very scared we didnt know if that would be the end or not. And I remember he had a blanket covering those skinny legs. I must say for the life of me, I cant understand how a man of such great stature got by on such skinny little legs. And he had a burban and branch in one hand and a cracker in the other with some kind of horrible cheese spread on it he had crumbs on his lips and that big booming voice of his had been reduced to a frail whisper. No I'm thinking that people who knew him might have looked at him like that and thought that he was just a shadow of his former self. People might have seen him and said or thought things like a, well you know he's not the man he use to be or there aint much of the old HB left. But not me and Billy because as the three of sat there in that dark stale room HB still spoke with great wisdom, and gentleness and honesty. The wisdom of a man who knows he's getting to the end but also knows enought to accept it. The gentleness of a father who knows when to listen, who knows when to speak, and the honesty of a man who has no reason to speak anything but the truth. You see those last moments I spent with him, it seems so long ago now, he had truly become everything that I ever wanted him to be, you see he was not a fragile old man, he was not a shadow of his former self, he was my father, he was my daddy. And I remember thinking it really wasnt that long ago that I remember screaming at him at the top of my lungs, how much I hated him. But now I could kiss him on that pale white cheeck that had once been so filled with the color of life. And whisper to him as he nodded off to sleep for the third time in about five hours, I love you Daddy, I Love you. And I thank God for that
The show ends with a line HB once said "Love the good Lord, and Love this life hes given you cherish every damn minute of it and everything will take care of itself."
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