At the age of 81 he is hanging up his whistle. Stroud has worked an estimated 6,000+ games in his career, running about 4 miles per varsity game, “which means Lewis ran the distance around the earth– 24,901 miles– on a basketball court,” said Butch Cook, presenting a plaque. We caught up with Stroud and picked his brain about how to stay so active and healthy. Here’s what he had to say…
By Kayleen Holder
He wakes up at 6 am every morning, and he takes his coffee black. More than likely, you’ve never seen Lewis Stroud frown, and that’s no accident! Whether you know him as coach, teacher, co-worker, or referee, Mr. Stroud is a friend to all, and for him, “being positive” is the only way to be. At 81 years old, he continues to get up and “go to work” each day– long after he retired–spreading encouragement and appreciation to everyone he meets, every chance he gets.
We caught up with him at The News office and asked what keeps him going so strong, and his answer was simple.
“The main thing is to keep your legs in shape, you’ve got to have your legs,” Stroud said. “You have to stay active and stay positive. Always look on the bright side. That’s something I learned from my good friend Duane Newcomb. He was always laughing, always smiling, even when things were tough. Every day I get up, do my exercises, drink my coffee, and I go out and look for something positive to do.”
When asked if he has any secrets to staying healthy, he said there isn’t anything really remarkable that he can think of, but he does love his vegetables..
“I do try to eat healthy and drink a lot of water which is something my doctor told me to do. That’s good for anyone,” Stroud said. “I love vegetables and stuff. I even like spinach and beets! It helps that my wife is a very good cook too!”
He also noted that he drinks a special blend of coffee made in San Angelo (Decoty Gourmet Taste of San Angelo blend), and he starts off his day with regular exercises.
“Every day I do a set of exercises. Dr. Bud Curtis gave me those exercises oh about 45 years ago,” Stroud said. “It takes about 25 minutes. I also use the treadmill for about 30 minutes every day.”
He was careful to point out that the love of his life, Marsha, is really to blame.
“She’s really the one thing that keeps me going…my wife Marsha,” he said with a sparkle in his eye. “She is my guiding light. We’ve been together 57 years. I met her when I was refereeing a basketball game and she was coaching. Our first date was to Hermann Son’s Steakhouse, and the rest is history.”
There’s surely no way to quantify how many students and athletes Stroud has touched over the years with his positive attitude and genuine encouragement. He has lived in Devine his whole life and loved every minute of it.
“ I taught PE in Devine for 35 years, drove a school bus for 36 years, Driver’s Ed for 44 years, so I’ve been pretty active in Devine schools! Devine is a great place to bring up your kids. Devine is full of good schools, good churches, and good people.”
While a lot of things have changed in Devine over the years, Stroud notes, “When something happens in Devine, everyone comes together.”
He has been refereeing basketball games for 59 years, known by some as the “best known referee in Texas!”
“I treat everybody fair, and I try to thank people for things and let them know they are appreciated. Not everybody does that and it’s important,” Stroud said. “I have always loved basketball. I played basketball. I coached basketball, and now I referee basketball. It’s good mental and physical exercise.”
When it comes to taking care of his legs, he notes “After every game that I referee, I ice my knees down and stretch for 20 minutes, and that’s AFTER the game.”
Stroud stops by the news office regularly to drop off photos and stories, most often honoring young people such as the Devine Lion’s Club Students of the Month. True to his nature, honoring these outstanding students is one of his favorite jobs as the Devine Lion’s Club President.
“The teachers pick the Students of the Month, and the Lion’s Club give them a meal, a certificate, and puts their picture in The Devine News. I guess we’ve been doing this for about 20 years. It’s a real good thing to honor these students who have done a good job and let them know they are appreciated,” Stroud said.
He has also delivered more eulogies for friends and community members than anyone else we can recall and that too has surely given him perspective as he helps celebrate the lives and achievements of others.
“I’ve learned a lot from others, and I’ve copied their values,” Stroud said, remembering many good friends. “People remember the way you lived your life.”
Much of his energy and attitude just comes from “good genetics” he says!
“My dad taught me a good work ethic and to be on time. My grandfather, Joe Stroud, was the town blacksmith in Devine, and he was very active in the community too.”
Stroud is also a proud member of the Devine United Methodist Church.
“Believing in God and Jesus and the values they have given you to live by, that’s what being a Christian means to me,” Stroud said. “It’s different for everyone, but being a Christian helps everybody.”
“I always try to look on the bright side, and be thankful I can get up and go to work each day,” Stroud said, explaining that his faith has helped him stay positive in the toughest of times.
Everyone goes through tough times, he notes, but when it comes down to it, he couldn’t say enough about how important it is to him to keep looking on the bright side. We asked “what’s your secret” for staying so healthy and active, and he gave us many possible answers. But our favorite answer came in the form of a question of his own just as he was about to walk out the door and go pick up another donation for the Lion’s Club.
“Have you ever seen me not being positive and smiling?” he asked with a smile.
Stroud was one of the 4 original founding members of the South Texas Chapter of basketball officials in 1968 and held several offices including President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Accolades include:
- Induction into the Texas High School Association of Basketball Officials Hall of Fame
- The South Texas Chapter Wall of Honor
- 3 State Tournaments
- Officiated 9 Regional Tournaments
- 150+ Playoff Games
- Officiated 40 years in the San Antonio Chapter of Football Officials
- One of a select few to be chosen for a State Basketball Championship Game and a State Football Championship Game.
He also was very successful coaching Jr. High basketball in Devine and helped produce some of the best players Devine had in the 70’s. He could have easily moved on to coach high school basketball, but realized varsity coaches may not get to stick around for very long and he didn’t want to leave his beloved hometown of Devine. Officiating basketball became his passion and no one worked harder.
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