Douglas Gresham Remembers C. S. Lewis’ Death

Much was written this past weekend about the 50th anniversary of the death of C. S. Lewis, who passed away less than an hour before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Lewis’ stepson and co-producer of the recent film adaptations, Douglas Gresham, shared his memories of that day in an article by The Independent.

“It was a cruel blow,” he says. “Most of us regarded [JFK] as a great hope for Western civilisation. But it was only the first blow of the day. Soon any thoughts about Kennedy would go completely out of my mind.”
[…]
“I didn’t think much about the timing,” he says. “I didn’t intellectualise the whole thing. It was a situation of being numb and carrying on, irrespective of what was going on in the wider world. Because my world had suddenly become very small and I ceased to be interested in anything else. Grief is a selfish thing – it shuts out everything except your own pain.”
Read the full story

Lewis was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure in mid-November 1963. Days later, he collapsed in his bedroom and died in his brother’s arms a few minutes later. It was one week before his 65th birthday.

Other articles:
Remembering C. S. Lewis (NarniaWeb)
Three Great Men Died That Day (DailyBeast)
CS Lewis honoured with Poets’ Corner memorial (BBC)
Why Narnia Still Matters (Time)

After reflecting on Lewis’ death, do not forgot to celebrate his life, and all the lives he changed, on his birthday this Friday! Post your thoughts in in our forum, as a comment below, or on our Facebook page.