Kenny and Jennifer Lewis
My sister Karen wrote the following about our cousin Kenny and his wife, Jennifer, whom we lost on 9/11/01.
Dear Friends,
As you all know, tomorrow marks the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. There has been much about it in the news and many channels have had nightly shows regarding various aspects of that day. While I am riveted to all of that, I worry that there has been so much coverage that some people might be “oversaturated” and are just tuning it all out. I’m asking that you please not do that. I can assure you that the pain of losing those we loved is still very raw and hard to comprehend even this many years later. How can one wrap their minds around their innocent loved ones heading off to work and, in our case, coming face to face with Islamic terrorists intent on murdering them, not because of anything they had done? As you’ve heard me say before, my cousin Kenny and his wife Jennifer were the antithesis of the evil they encountered that day. They were deeply in love (in fact they were called “Kennifer” because they were inseparable), they loved life and especially enjoyed the outdoors, they got the most out of each day, and they were kind and giving. In fact, I had someone come up to me and tell me that she remembered Kenny from a flight she was on even though a year had passed, simply because of the extra kindness he had shown to her kids. He did love kids and even played hide and seek with them on the flights that weren’t so crowded. His Dad, my Uncle Gene, who, along with my Aunt JoAnn, traveled with Kenny and Jennifer, said that at the end of the flight the kids wouldn’t want to get off the plane because they wanted to stay with Kenny.
Kenny looked at life as an adventure. He and my Uncle Gene used to take trips back to my Uncle’s hometown in Gatlinburg and enjoy hikes in the mountains. Those hikes could become very long hikes, as Kenny would say to his Dad, “I want to see what’s around that curve up there. Let’s keep going.” And, of course, Uncle Gene would keep on going. Anything for Kenny. (I can’t remember if it was sky-diving or bungee jumping, but Uncle Gene said he did that once for Kenny too!) Mitch, Kenny’s best friend and roommate in Colorado, where Kenny was a ski instructor recalled how Kenny would wake up early each morning, go out on the balcony and say, “Hey, Mitch. You’ve got to come see the sunrise.” Poor, sleepy Mitch, would reply, “Kenny, I’ve already seen it a thousand times.” Kenny appreciated every day.
And Jennifer was well-known amongst the flight crew for her practical jokes, such as stealing the wheels off of their luggage or filling it with peanuts, etc. Her friend also remembered her as the sweet, nutty girl who would remember everyone’s birthday and call them to sing “Happy Birthday” (not very well). Nevertheless, she would sing it with reckless abandon and then say, “How was that?” She loved Kenny so much and said that when she was upset or worried about anything, all she had to do was talk to him and he had a way of speaking to her that was so calming and settling that it was like he was oxygen for her. Kenny didn’t find her until later in life, but she was certainly worth waiting for!
Kenny was the only child of my Uncle Gene and Aunt JoAnn. He was my Uncle Gene’s closest friend and my Aunt had given birth to him at the age of 16 (she and Uncle Gene were married at 15!), so she had literally grown up with Kenny. They are simple “country-folk”, living in Farmville Va. My Aunt is bedridden now due to Parkinsons and Uncle Gene is her loving care-taker. I think the only thing that has enabled him to get up each morning and put one foot in front of the other since that awful day is that on September 12, 2001 he told himself that he had to go on with life because, “That was what Kenny would have wanted me to do.” He would do anything Kenny asked. He also possesses a very strong faith in God, which has comforted him.
Their lives were devastated that day, as were so many other families’ lives.
When you look at the pictures of each of the victims, please remember that each and every one of them had a family and friends who loved them. Just Kenny alone had 35 cousins. He was the best known of all the cousins because he was the only one who grew up in my mom’s hometown of Farmville.
His house was right behind my grandparent’s farm, so on every vacation we would head through the pasture (even risking getting caught by a bull sometimes) slide under the barbed wire fence at the end of the pasture and go to his house to play (and to enjoy some modern amenities since my grandparent’s house was tiny and old.)
Of course I could go on and on about Kenny and Jennifer, just as I could go on and on about all of the feelings I’m experiencing–all of the thoughts–all of the emotions. I actually hadn’t sat down intending to write all of this. I was merely going to forward the link to the pictures, but then all of this just sort of “spilled out”. I just ask that you pray for the families as we mark this Anniversary–an anniversary that I wish with all my heart didn’t exist. We can’t expect you to be able to relate to how we feel, but it is important to us to know that the nation hasn’t forgotten.
Kenny and Jennifer were our loss, but that loss was multiplied thousands of times over.
Remember too, that our lives here on this earth are but a vapor, (James 4:14). We are not promised a tomorrow, so it’s important to have complete assurance as to where you will spend eternity.
1 John 5:13
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Love,
Karen
Here is a link to a song that I think embodies the spirit of Kenny and Jennifer so well. When I hear it, I always think of it being their message to all of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b5KEXzF8Cc
Also, here is a link with just some of the photos of those on board Flight 77
http://myfriendsphotos.tripod.com/aa77.html
