Willie Ovid “Bobby” Lewis

Ovid was born March 23, 1939 on a farm near Lockettville, Texas to Tom and Lena Lewis. He attended schools at Ropes, Meadow, Rogers, New Mexico and ultimately graduated high school at Ropes in 1957. Following graduation from high school, because he never liked the name his parents handed him, he manipulated a name change using his friends to make it happen. He was known after that by his friends as “Bobby.” Slowly “Ovid” gave way to Bobby. From then on only his family called him Ovid. Ovid served in the U.S. Army attaining the rank of Sargent E-5. He was stationed in Germany. Ovid married Lavonne Franklin and they had two children, Tommy Loyd and Tammi. Ovid eventually started farming close to Gomaz, Texas. His first love was farming which he was able to do until his retirement. After a two-year battle with cancer he died September 17, 2020 at the age of 81. Some of those left to continue loving him are his wife Lavonne; son, Tommy Loyd; daughter, Tammi Collins and husband Kurt; sisters, Maurine Biggs and Roseva Ford; brothers, Eugene Lewis and Leslie Lewis; and three grandchildren, Cooper Flanagan, Kutter Collins, and Trevor Lewis. Ovid had a heart of gold, a generous heart, and a joyful spirit, but he would be upset if you knew that about him. Few people knew of the love this man had for others, especially those in need, because he purposely tried to direct attention away from his good deeds by pretending to think the opposite.