Annual bike ride honors Owen Lewis

Over the weekend, many people laced up their sneakers and hopped on their bikes for the third annual Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Bike Ride.

Owen Lewis unexpectedly passed away from lymphocytic myocarditis on April 28th, 2022.

To honor their son, his parents, Onick and Heather Lewis, both professors at Troy, started O’s Cool Bike Foundation.

Dr. Heather Lewis described how the event brings out Owen’s personality.

“It one thousand percent replicates him,” Lewis said. “He would love this.

“He loved dinosaurs, he loved bounce houses, he loved the color blue.

He just loved being outside, and the weather today is beautiful, and I feel like part of him is making that happen. To date, we've never had rain on this event, and so I truly believe he's up there helping us to have a beautiful day and an amazing event.”

Lewis also recruited help from her HTSM 4450 class. Anna Godbehere, a junior majoring in hospitality from Birmingham, Alabama, was one of those helpers.

“We have a hospitality group, a logistics group,”Godbehere said. “I’m in the logistics group, and we set up different water stations on campus and then helped set up tents on the quad.

“My favorite part of all of this has been seeing the little kids have fun. I enjoy clapping and cheering them on.”

While some participants took to walking and riding around campus, some riders took a lengthier approach. Between 8 and 9 a.m., some riders embarked on 64, 45 or 34-mile bike rides across Pike County.

The younger generation also had the chance to participate by racing around the quad on tricycles.

“I think what makes this event so special is how it brings the community together,” said Tatianna Rivera, an undecided major from Fairhope, Alabama. “It's something that needs to be done more.

“Troy is a small town, but we don't know everyone. Being at Troy, having this community is amazing.”

This year, Lewis aims to achieve a big goal from the proceeds of the event.

“We have a scholarship here at Troy called the Owen Wayne Lewis memorial scholarship,” Lewis said. “We're hoping from the proceeds of this event to endow our scholarship, and that way it will live on forever at the university.

“The scholarship is for first generation college students majoring in human services, social work, and hospitality tourism and event management, which are the programs that my husband and I teach here at Troy.”

The Owen Wayne Lewis memorial bike ride is not just about miles traveled but about a life celebrated and remembered.

For those who want to donate to O's Cool Bike Foundation, readers can visit www.o'scoolbikefoundation.org. For those who want to donate directly to the Owen Wayne Lewis memorial scholarship, readers can visit donate.troy.edu.