Wimpy's co-owner remembered 'the most positive person'

One of the owners of a Cape Girardeau fixture has died, but many remember the legacy he helped create.

Frank Lewis, who died Thursday at age 90, worked with his brothers for nearly 30 years at Wimpy's Drive-In, their restaurant/grocery store at 800 N. Kingshighway.

"My father was the most positive person you wanted to meet," said Lynette Williamson, one of Lewis' three children, who lives in St. Louis. "Everyone wanted to stay in touch with him. From the president at SEMO, to the person who would cut his grass, they all knew him by his first name. They'd come in [the restaurant] and say, 'Where's Frank?'"

Wimpy's was the place to be in the 1950s and 1960s, according to Lewis' brother, Freeman, of Cape Girardeau. Freeman Lewis said people would drive to Wimpy's on a Saturday night, then down Broadway, then back to Wimpy's. He said his brother always liked to speak with all the customers.

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