Clara Farr Lewis

Clara F. Lewis was born on December 25, 1906, to Ed and Mary Farr in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was one of six children that would come from that union. John, Monroe, Millie, Perrola and Connibill were the other five. Her father died in 1910 with Tuberculosis, leaving the family challenged in finding the necessary funds to provide for their needs. Times were very hard and her mother gathered the family and moved in with Sumter and Millie Davis, Clara’s grandparents. We can remember Clara speaking of her great grandmother Lucy, who had been a slave and came to live with them.Education was quite different then from how we know it today. Schooling in the classroom setting was very limited. Many times they had to take turns going to school because they had to share clothing. Often everyone had to work in the field in order to help make ends meet. Clara was very much acquainted with the skills involved in picking cotton. She worked very hard physically in her early years and learned the importance of unity in the family at a very young age. Her mother soon married again, a man whom they called Uncle Buck. Buck Farr lived in Cedar Grove; South Carolina and two came from that union, Marianne and Willibee.Clara was no different from most young girls her age. She soon became interested in boys. We can remember the stories about one boy in particular who captured her attention. He would tie her long ponytails to the back of the schoolroom chairs. She was so fond of this young, handsome, dashing man and in 1925, she married Lewis (West) Murphy, the young man of her dreams. To this union one son was born, Dennis E. Murphy, Sr. In 1938, when Dennis was 12 years old, Clara decided to move to Baltimore, Maryland, where she understood it to be a more progressive area and one could make and easy living.The Lord blessed Clara with many talents, one of which was sewing. She was a great seamstress and truly a Proverbs 31 (virtuous) woman. For many years she worked at Fort Meade as a Presser in the Laundry Department, retiring in 1970.Clara, at a young age, seemed to be unsettled in her spirit. She felt like something wasn’t quite right, as though she was missing something. She was familiar with the Holy Spirits’ leading, but felt as though she was lacking in some of the blessings that Christ had for her. She was constantly searching for truth. She wanted to know all of what Christ desired and expected of her. Upon moving to Baltimore, she would visit and attend many churches but soon settled and became a member of the Providence Baptist Church. While there, she grew and learned much. Then in 1945, her prayers were answered and her spirit was refreshed. She sent a letter to Dennis, her only child, serving in the Navy, saying she had finally found what she had been searching for all these years-THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD’S WORD! Elder Charles Cheatham, Sr. was holding an evangelistic meeting; Clara attended the meetings each night and was soon baptized becoming a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Not long after her commitment to the church and the Lord, her husband, West Murphy was met with a fatal accident.Clara continued to be faithful. Her life was one of thankfulness and praise, dedication and service to the God of this Universe, whom she loved so much. She was well loved by all that knew her. Her kindness and generosity touched the lives of many. She held many positions of office throughout her 60 years of dedicated service. She worked on the Deaconess Board, served as an Usher, sang in the Choir and was a member of the 50-Plus Ministry and much more. She hadn’t been in the Church long before she was recognized by one who noticed her characteristic as a Child of God. Not to mention the physical beauty that she also possessed, for Clara was a very charming woman. In 1950, she was married to James Lewis. He was a service man in the United States Army. They spent 15 years together before his death in 1964.Clara loved her family. Even though she had only one son, she had a number of grandchildren and a host of great-grandchildren. Her life was spent in caring and providing for her family, in any way that she could.She leaves to mourn: one sister, Pernola Duckley; her son, Dennis E. Murphy, Sr.; ten grandchildren, Dennis E. Murphy, Jr., Allen Murphy, James S. Swinson, Gloria Scott, Paula Washington, Denise Murphy, Vivian Canson, Robert Bethea Sr., Patrick Murphy and Donna Barksdale; 15 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren; nieces, Annie, Betty, Edith, Geraldine, Gwendolyn, Harriett, Joyce, Kecia, Mamie, Sarah, Shirley, Toni, Valarie; one goddaughter, Rose; and a host of other relatives and friends.

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Clara Farr Lewis

December 25, 1906 - May 23, 2004