Beloved Cowboy Flies Into Glory

An Examination Of The Life And Death Of Lewis Workman

Tatum Perkins
Tatum Perkins

FARMINGTON -- Three-year-old Tatum Perkins was the last person to glimpse the essence of Lewis Workman the day the Prairie Grove cowboy died in an automobile crash.

Tatum is the son of Lewis' former roping partner, Charlie Perkins, of Farmington, and a buddy to Lewis' three-old son, Colton. Making the tight-knit bond between the families even closer is the friendship between their wives.

"They were best friends and Christy [Perkins] and I are best friends," said Lewis' widow, Brittany Workman.

The families also have daughters close in age with Savannah Perkins and Kayden Loftin both competing for Little Miss Lincoln Riding Club, a title won by Kayden in June 2013, two months after her step-dad, Lewis' death.

Christy Perkins was driving with Tatum from Farmington on their way to check on horses in leased pasture at Prairie Grove a year ago on that fateful day, April 3, 2013, when they came upon the aftermath of an automobile accident on U.S. 62. Emergency responders had tactfully covered Lewis' pickup with tarps, which was smashed in a head-on collision with a semi-truck, so the family could not identify the vehicle.

Normally Christy would have dropped Tatum off at the Fayetteville Pre-K Headstart but that day she decided to keep him home with her.

"We passed right by the wreck and you couldn't tell anything by looking at the trucks cause they had it covered with a tarp. It didn't look like a truck and as we were passing by, Tatum looked at me and he said, 'Mom.' I said, 'What Tatum?' and he goes, 'I see Lewis and he looks like Jesus,' and I said, 'Oh, Tatum.'

Christy scanned the accident site in amazement.

When interviewed and asked where he saw Lewis, Tatum replied, "In the air."

Yet, Christy wasn't seeing what was visible to Tatum and quickly changed the subject as they went on. After arriving at Prairie Grove, Charlie phoned Christy confirming Tatum's statement with the news of Lewis being in the wreck.

Christy immediately sought out Brittany to comfort her but didn't mention anything about what Tatum saw.

Christy was still trying to process the information along with the shock of Lewis' death. Had her son seen a vision? Or had the untainted faith of a child closely connected to Lewis granted the youngster a privilege of seeing into the spirit realm as Lewis' essence was transported on a heavenly journey?

Tatum's statements were at the forefront of her mind all day and at last Christy determined the revelation was too important to continue to withhold.

"I wanted to tell Brittany as soon as I could but I talked to Charlie about it first and then we were at her grandma's house, that's where everybody was meeting, and Brittany was really upset. She wished that she knew that Lewis was happy," Christy said.

At that point Christy made eye contact with Charlie, who nodded.

"He could tell what was on my mind. I told Brittany by herself first and that's when she told the rest of her family. It was a question on Brittany's mind hoping that he [Lewis] was happy and that she wanted to say goodbye and I just felt like Tatum seeing him as we drove by was his way of saying that he's happy so that's why I told Brittany."

"Lewis was a character. It was very rare for him not to be happy," Brittany remembers. "He had the biggest heart. He would have given anything for his children. He never let me saddle my horse. He wanted to do it all, he catered to me. He was a good husband."

Christy said the event has changed Tatum, who now regularly asks questions about spirituality and expresses a desire to see Lewis again.

"We tell him he has to always keep God in his heart so he can see Lewis again," Christy said.

Lincoln senior Dakota Riggin, who along with his dad is organizing the first annual Bull-Riding competition on Saturday of the 2014 Lincoln Apple-Fest as a National Christian Barrel Racers Association (NCBRA) sanctioned event, has no problem accepting the credibility of Tatum Perkins, describing Tatum as very conversational.

"He's probably the only three-year-old you'll have a conversation with. Everything he says is interesting."

Riggin remembers Lewis Workman as a good guy.

"He roped with us. It's sad somebody, who was such a good guy, died so young. Lewis had a very good impact on a lot of people. He was a hand when it came to rodeoing."

"He was very big in religion, one of those cowboys that lived for the Lord and did everything the right way," Riggin said.

Sports on 04/16/2014