The year is 1969.

With the swinging 60s drawing to a close, Nixon replaced Johnson in the White House promising the gradual extraction of American troops from southeast Asia while 250,000 anti-war protesters marched on Washington D.C.

A music festival, destined to become a symbol of the age kicked off in New York State, Pele scored his 1,000th goal for Brazilian side Santos, Sesame Street made its debut on American television and ?Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? was a box-office sensation.

Oh yeah. And man finally landed on the moon.

Huddled around a television set in Hollywood, Florida, staring open-mouthed at the grainy footage of man?s earth-shattering achievement, it would surely have been inconceivable to the Lewis clan that they would not be together as one again for the next three and a half decades.

Yet this is precisely what happened to this truly global Bermudian family, with all four of John Lewis? children spread out over three different continents.

But after years living apart separated by many thousands of miles, John?s daughter Sandy and three sons Ross, Gary and Tim came home last week united in grief, mourning the death of their 78-year-old mother Elizabeth, who had been fighting a battle against colon cancer for over six months.

?It is wonderful that we have all been able to come together again after so long and help our Dad through this very difficult time,? said Sandy, who married a Brazilian and currently lives in the countryside outside of Sao Paulo.

She had already been in Bermuda for a month, visiting her ailing mother every day at the Agape Hospice in Paget, as it became increasingly clear that the cancer was spreading and it was unlikely that Elizabeth would conquer the debilitating disease.

?Despite the fact her condition was deteriorating, she was always in good spirits,? Sandy said.

?She was very comfortable at Agape and we cannot say enough about the love and care the nurses there gave to her. Dad would go and see her at least twice a day and despite the discomfort she never once complained. But that was our mother. She never let anything bring her down.?

Eldest son Ross Lewis, a pilot who currently flies private jets out of Saudi Arabia, talked of his ?admiration? for his mother?s strength of character even to the very end, while he admitted that despite their time apart and the sorrowful nature of their trip, he was surprised how quickly the family had slipped back into the ?old routine? ? including the almost constant ribbing of Tim, the youngest of the Lewis? offspring, who works as a sales assistant in Bermuda. ?It?s been a very natural feeling being at home together after all this time,? Ross said.

?It?s amazing really ? but it?s as if we have never been apart. Of course, Tim is still the butt of most of the jokes but he has developed such a thick skin over the years that he doesn?t seem to have any problem handling it! But the whole experience has been surreal. We?ve seen each other individually many times but this is the first time we?ve been all together for more than 30 years and it is lovely we could all be at home to celebrate our mother?s life.?

To describe the Lewis? as well travelled would be somewhat of an understatement.

Their father John married Elizabeth on July 6, 1946 and soon after was posted to the Dominican Republic by his employers of many years, petroleum giants Esso.

Ross and Sandy were born on local soil, but Gary, now an engineer in Pennsylvania, entered this world from a hospital bed in Santa Domingo.

?Betty used to say that his conception could be attributed to the three hour lunch breaks which were part and parcel of the lifestyle in the Dominican Republic,? John joked.

In 1954, Esso moved the Lewis? to Jamaica before returning them home three years later ? where Tim was eventually born.

In 1964 they were on the move again, this time to the Bahamas while two years later, John?s work took them even further afield to Brazil.

?We?ve certainly been around the place,? Sandy reflected.

?But it?s funny because we all think of Bermuda as our home, no matter what part of the world we find ourselves in. It?s such a beautiful place and I do miss it. Driving along the South Shore in the evening and looking out at the ocean, I?m always struck with how lucky we are to be from here.?

So what of the future?

While all three children said in an ideal world they would like to return home one day, Gary is the only one currently looking for a job on the Island ? mainly, he revealed, so he can take care of his father.

?I think it is important for one of us to be here to look after Dad,? he said.

?The only thing he knows about the kitchen is that he has to walk through it in order to get to the car, so it is going to be important that he has somebody here keeping an eye on him and supporting him.?

Coming to terms with the loss of his beloved wife and the departure of his children will certainly not be easy.

But it was in keeping with the generous spirit of the family as whole that he preferred not to dwell on the nature of his own circumstances, but instead pay tribute to the woman he loved for 48 years.

?Looking back on Elizabeth?s life one can confidently say that she was a perfect role model as a wife and a mother,? he said.