The death of Eric Lewis's mother in England during the Depression set in motion a series of events that would eventually lead him to a farm school in the Cowichan Valley and a new life in Canada.
When his mother died, his father was left with six young mouths to feed. He did remarry, but his new bride had six children of her own.
So the decision was made to send Lewis, who was eight in 1938, to Canada. He was one of the estimated 100,000 British Home Children sent to live - and work - in Canada between 1870 and 1957.
He ended up in Duncan, where he attended Fair-bridge Farm School. While some critics have called the British Home Children program nothing more than child labour, by all accounts, Lewis emerged from the experience no worse for wear.
"We spent long hours [labouring] at the farm," says Roddy McKay, who arrived a few years after Lewis. "I think Eric, who was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and was in the hospital [a lot], was treated well."
Because of his stints in the hospital, Lewis didn't have more than a Grade 7 education.
But as his life unfolded, the lack of formal education didn't seem to make a difference.
At 17, he got a job as a steward on the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company's Victoria-to-Vancouver ferry. During a later stint on another vessel, he jumped ship in New Zealand, where he ended up opening a barber shop - even though he had never cut hair before.
He returned to Canada in 1953 and married his first wife, Doris, the next year.
The couple had six children: Tony, Cindy, Douglas, Gregory, and twins Michelle and Michael.
After a few years selling cars, in 1957 he and a partner opened Ensign Motors, which remains a Chrysler franchise to this day.
After selling his half of the dealership, Lewis got into the restaurant business, opening Big Louie's Drive-In on the Saanich Peninsula in 1968.
The diner underwent several changes over the years, eventually being reborn as the Waddling Dog Inn in 1978.
"He had a special affinity for basset hounds," recalls Art Wiebe, a retired mortgage and insurance broker who knew Lewis for more than 40 years.
"In England, the breed was known as waddling dogs because of their distinctive waddle as they walked. Eric had two of them at one time, and they were treated very well."
Although Lewis sold the business in 1991, the new owners have retained the name - and the fibreglass mascot on the roof.
Daughter Michelle Lewis calls her father a "real free-enterpriser."
"Although he travelled a bit in his later years, he really preferred to work.
He was a risk-taker when it came to business. He had a lot of guts, for sure."
The family home was just a block from Big Louie's Drive-In, and Michelle would always be welcome to bring her friends over for a free hot dog or milkshake.
Lewis also took a special interest in his garden. "He had a lovely garden. It would rival the Butchart Gardens," says Wiebe. A nursery less than half a block from the house made the acquisition of a variety of plants easy.
Although Lewis considered Canada home, he still loved the land of his birth. In 1978, he took the whole family to England to meet all the uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces. The previous year, he had been reunited with his father, whom he brought to Canada for a visit.
In 1992, he married his second wife, Audrey, who had five children from a previous marriage.
That same year, he was elected president of the Union Club, an accomplishment he was particularly proud of, recalls Michelle.
"He told us that during his acceptance speech, he reminded the members that they had just elected a person who did not have more than a Grade 7 education."
He held the position for two years and was known as the turn-around president, says Michelle.
"He was the definition of a self-made man," says McKay, who is part of a group of former British Home Children who kept in touch with each other over the decades. "I will miss him."
Eric Waring Lewis was born in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, England, on April 21, 1930. He died in Victoria on Nov. 1, 2012.
Island Lives celebrates the lives of Island people who have died recently. The series focuses not on the famous, but on our neighbours who have led interesting lives or made a difference in their communities. If you know of someone whose life should be celebrated, let us know by email at [email protected] or by mail at 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, B.C., V8T 4M2.
