by Stacey“ Snoopy” Conly
A little over two months after John Frank Lewis’ Last Ride, his tombstone was ready to be set. When Freddie Grappe told me they were all getting together at 9:30 in the morning to set the stone, I was hoping it was an invite; sure enough it was an invite! When I arrived at St John the Baptist Church, it was only 9:10am and there were already 6 or 7 of the Gray Ghosts there, of course Freddie was one. Let me stop right here and tell you real quick, I just love these guys! They will make you feel loved when nobody even likes you. I am truly honored to be friends with such a great group of guys as these Ghosts. When I parked, they came over to greet me then shortly after the truck from the Sabine Monument Company in Many arrived.
While we waited for John’ s wife, Tracy; son, Nick; and the 2 beautiful grandbabies to arrive at 9:30 I walked down to set up my cameras. I watched from a distance as more Ghosts arrived and then the family; I watched the love between them all, the love I had been greeted with. As I watched, I thought how proud John would be to see this. I imagine John was looking down and smiling big on what was taking place in honor of him.
There were ten Ghosts there with Tracy, Nick, and the babies. Three of the Ghosts left their jobs long enough to be a part of this moment; Gray Ghost X-Ray and Gray Ghost TC drove down from Shreveport with the family.
Watching this family walk down with the beautifully etched stone was touching to me; it showed the respect and love these Ghosts have for John and his family. Once at the bottom of the hill, we watched the man from Sabine Monument Company carefully measuring and setting the stone in place. After the stone was set, Gray Ghost Tom spoke then said a prayer. After walking back up the hill and visiting a bit, the three who had to
go back to work did so, then the rest of us continued our visit at“ The Office.”
I truly believe John would have been proud of the gathering in his honor. Let me say once again, I am so very blessed to be a friend to such a wonderful group of guys. Thank y’ all for allowing me to be a part of this reverent time!
If you ever want to go visit John at his final resting place, go to St John the Baptist Church right where Hwy 6 and San Antonio meet in Many, Louisiana. Walk down the sidewalk to the cemetery. When the sidewalk ends at the bottom of the hill, walk a little bit further and right to your left you will find a beautifully etched tombstone where John lies; you might even find a Ghost there.
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