(CNN) Talk to anyone who has known John Lewis for any length of time and you'll eventually hear the story about him preaching to the chickens.

It goes something like this: Lewis was a shy black kid with a stutter who was determined to be a preacher while growing up in rural Alabama during the Jim Crow era. He'd practice his calling by going to the henhouse on his family's farm and delivering sermons to his captive flock.

Lewis -- whose family called him "Robert," his middle name -- grew so attached to his feathered congregation that he conducted chicken weddings, baptisms and even eulogized chicken funerals. When his chickens were unavailable for worship, he would corral his younger siblings and cousins and preach to them. They nicknamed him "Preacher."

The Georgia congressman, whose district includes Atlanta, has told the chicken story so much that when a friend invited him to deliver some brief remarks at a reunion of civil rights leaders, he teased Lewis with a warning.

"We told him, 'Forget the chicken. We heard the chicken stories,'" says Larry Rubin, a former field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), who worked alongside Lewis. "'You only have five minutes. That chicken story takes 10 minutes.'"

Time is once again pressing on the longtime Democrat, who turns 80 today. Lewis disclosed in December that he's been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer , an aggressive form that sometimes claims its victims within months.

Lewis is irreplaceable. He is the only surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington. He was on the front lines of the most dangerous campaigns of the civil rights era: the student sit-in movements, the Freedom Rides and of course that notorious 1965 moment at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where Lewis and other marchers were attacked by state troopers with whips and nightsticks.

Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures US Rep. John Lewis poses in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in March 2018. The civil rights icon, who helped organize the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, was elected to Congress in 1987. Hide Caption 1 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, right, and fellow student demonstrator James Bevel stand inside the door of a Nashville, Tennessee, restaurant during a sit-in protest in 1960. The manager turned on a fumigating machine to disrupt the sit-in. Hide Caption 2 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis has tape on his head, marking the spot where he was struck during racial violence in Montgomery, Alabama, in May 1961. That month, the Freedom Ride movement began with interstate buses driving into the Deep South to challenge segregation that persisted despite recent Supreme Court rulings. In some cities, the activists were arrested and brutally beaten. Hide Caption 3 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis and James Zwerg, another Freedom Rider, stand together after being attacked by segregationists in Montgomery. Hide Caption 4 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures This police mug shot of Lewis was taken in Jackson, Mississippi, after he used a restroom reserved for White people during the Freedom Ride movement. Hide Caption 5 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis addresses the crowd during the 1963 March on Washington. Hide Caption 6 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, in 1940. His father, Eddie, was a sharecropper. Hide Caption 7 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures US President John F. Kennedy, fourth from right, meets with Lewis and other civil rights leaders after the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis is in the center, next to Martin Luther King Jr. Hide Caption 8 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, reads a document in a New York office in 1964. The document was "We Shall Overcome; the Authorized Record of the March on Washington Produced by the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership." Hide Caption 9 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, in the light coat, marches beside Hosea Williams as they lead other civil rights activists in the first march from Selma to Montgomery, protesting the lack of voting rights for Black citizens, on March 7, 1965. That day the march was violently ended by Alabama state troopers, an incident that is now known as "Bloody Sunday." Hide Caption 10 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, Williams and other marchers face a line of state troopers blocking the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Hide Caption 11 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Alabama state troopers, swinging billy clubs, break up the Selma to Montgomery march on March 7, 1965. Lewis is being beaten in the foreground by a state trooper. He suffered a fractured skull. Troopers also fired tear gas, and troopers mounted on horses charged the protesters. Hide Caption 12 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis walks with Martin Luther King Jr. and others during another Selma to Montgomery march later in the month. From left are Ralph David Abernathy, James Forman, King, the Rev. Jesse Douglas and Lewis. Hide Caption 13 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, in the vest, joins King and King's wife, Coretta Scott King, before a rally on the steps on the Alabama Capitol on March 25, 1965. A few months later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which ensured that everyone's right to vote would be protected and enforced. Hide Caption 14 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis and his wife, Lillian, attend a campaign rally in Atlanta in April 1977. He was running for Congress but lost the Democratic primary that year to Wyche Fowler Jr. Hide Caption 15 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis speaks outside Atlanta City Hall in October 1982. Hide Caption 16 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, running for Congress again, casts his ballot in Atlanta in September 1986. He won a runoff election in the Democratic primary, defeating Julian Bond. He easily won the general election in November. Hide Caption 17 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures President Bill Clinton applauds in 2000 after leading marchers across Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 35th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." With Clinton. from left, are the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King and John and Lillian Lewis. Hide Caption 18 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis is comforted by Coretta Scott King during a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in August 2003. A plaque was unveiled there honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Hide Caption 19 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis poses for a photo at his offices in Washington, DC, in March 2009. Hide Caption 20 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis is led away in handcuffs by a Secret Service officer in Washington, DC, as he protested Sudan's Darfur conflict in April 2009. Hide Caption 21 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures President Barack Obama awards Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. "All these years later, (Lewis) is known as the Conscience of the United States Congress, still speaking his mind on issues of justice and equality," Obama said. "And generations from now, when parents teach their children what is meant by courage, the story of John Lewis will come to mind -- an American who knew that change could not wait for some other person or some other time; whose life is a lesson in the fierce urgency of now." Hide Caption 22 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis holds hands with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as Democrats participate in a walkout to protest a June 2012 vote on whether Attorney General Eric Holder was in contempt of Congress. Hide Caption 23 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis acknowledges the crowd as he is driven around the diamond at an Atlanta Braves baseball game at Turner Field in August 2012. Hide Caption 24 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis becomes emotional at the funeral services for his wife, Lillian, in January 2013. They were married for 44 years. Hide Caption 25 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis and other members of Congress rally on the steps of the US Supreme Court in February 2013. They were joined by civil rights icons as the court prepared to hear oral arguments in Shelby County v. Holder, a legal challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Hide Caption 26 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis is joined by actress Gabrielle Union as the US Postal Service unveils a stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. Hide Caption 27 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis joins President Obama and his family on a march toward Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." Hide Caption 28 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis holds hands with Obama and former President George W. Bush during the 50th anniversary event at Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. Hide Caption 29 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis recounts his experience in Selma to a group of students who had gathered on the House steps in April 2015. Hide Caption 30 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife, Sharon Malone, share a moment with Lewis at the Department of Justice in April 2015. Holder, who was leaving office, thanked Lewis for influencing his career. Hide Caption 31 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis sits with other Democrats on the House floor as they try to force a vote on gun control measures in June 2016. Lewis launched the sit-in protest in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting, which at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in US history. Hide Caption 32 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures After the sit-in, Lewis is joined by Pelosi and US Reps. Jim Clyburn and Joe Crowley as Democrats sing a song outside the US Capitol. Hide Caption 33 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis delivers a speech on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in July 2016. Hide Caption 34 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis receives a standing ovation at the September 2016 opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. At left is President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. Hide Caption 35 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis walks down the steps of the US Capitol in January 2017. Hide Caption 36 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis stands with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC, in April 2018. Hide Caption 37 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis, standing next to actress Amandla Stenberg, speaks on stage during the Academy Awards in February 2019. He was introducing the movie "Green Book," which went on to win best picture. Hide Caption 38 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures In March 2019, Lewis walks through monuments honoring the victims of racial lynchings at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Hide Caption 39 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis prepares to pay his respects to US Rep. Elijah Cummings, who was lying in state in October 2019. Hide Caption 40 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis is seen near a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. in the US Capitol rotunda. Hide Caption 41 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis is assisted near Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge while attending a March 2020 ceremony marking the 55th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." A few months earlier, Lewis' office announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Hide Caption 42 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis reads paperwork about election qualification in March 2020. Hide Caption 43 of 44 Photos: John Lewis' life in pictures Lewis poses for a photo with Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser at the Black Lives Matter Plaza in June 2020. Hide Caption 44 of 44

Lewis' place in history has been so thoroughly documented that it's hard to find anything new to say about him -- unless you talk to some of the people who have known him the longest.

Here are some of their favorite John Lewis stories, plus one gem from a journalist who covered Barack Obama's inauguration.

He dressed up at Comic-Con

Lewis is often portrayed as a solemn voice of conscience, but friends say he knows how to have fun. They describe a man who breaks into corny dances, who belts out "Lean on Me" at parties and will even do cosplay -- as himself.

In 2015, Lewis attended San Diego Comic-Con to promote his graphic novel series, "March," one of which won the National Book Award. But he didn't want to just attend the convention, says Andrew Aydin, co-author of "March" and a policy adviser to Lewis.

"I want to dress up," he told Aydin.

Rep. John Lewis speaks at a panel for his book series "March" at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Lewis' costume was a replica of what he wore at the Edmund Pettus Bridge: a trench coat, a backpack containing two books, and a toothbrush and toothpaste. Aydin, a self-professed comic geek, says Lewis quickly got into the spirit of Comic-Con -- even if he didn't know all the characters.

"Who is that?" he asked Aydin as they passed an attendee with hairy sideburns and blades on his hands.

"Sir, that's Wolverine."

"Who's that?"

"That's the Incredible Hulk."

At their Comic-Con panel, something unexpected took place. A group of elementary school students -- children of all races -- came to hear Lewis. After his talk, Lewis decided to join hands with them and stage an impromptu march through the hall.

By the time they got to the show floor, Lewis was leading a line of about 1,000 marchers. Some onlookers were near tears as they watched him pass.

The graphic novel had made Lewis known to a new generation.

"He was walking through the hallways and the seas just parted," Aydin says. "It felt like it was the first time that people had seen a real hero."

He crossed the aisle to hug a rival

The public persona of some civil rights leaders didn't match how they acted backstage when few were looking. Some of the movement's leaders were notorious for their egos, pettiness and their demeaning treatment of women.

None of those accusations, though, surface when people talk about Lewis.

"We called Martin Luther King 'De Lawd.' We called Lewis 'the Saint," Rubin says. "John Lewis was John Lewis in all circumstances."

Many of Lewis' political foes also speak highly of him. When Johnny Isakson, the Republican senator from Georgia, was honored last November before his retirement, Lewis paid an emotional tribute to him on the House floor.

Former Rep. Johnny Isakson, a Republican, was Lewis' political foe. But the two men became friends.

As he finished speaking Lewis said, "I will come over to meet you, brother."

He went to Isakson as the Republican, who was battling health problems , walked gingerly towards him. The two men embraced.

"I wish all of America could be here to see that," state Rep. Austin Scott said afterwards

George Wallace's daughter made him cry

Lewis had another warm embrace for the daughter of one of his most formidable foes, George Wallace, the former segregationist governor of Alabama.

When Peggy Wallace Kennedy was invited to Selma to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 2009 with civil rights leaders, she found herself sitting alone in a room as other dignitaries chatted together. Lewis approached her.

Peggy Wallace Kennedy at her home in Montgomery, Alabama, on November 22, 2019.

"He saw this person who was nervous and looked unsteady and he come over and said, 'I'm from Pike County,' '' she told CNN.

As the civil rights leaders stood for the commemorative march, Lewis told Kennedy, "Well, sister, it's time for us to move on now." Lewis held her hand throughout.

Several years later, when she returned to Alabama to speak at another civil rights commemorative event, Lewis was on the stage with her.

Near the end of her speech, she turned to Lewis and acknowledged he had not been recognized by her late father when he was Alabama's governor.

"But today, as his daughter and as a person of my own, I want to do for you what my father should have done and recognize you for your humanity and for your dignity as a child of God, as a person of goodwill and character and as a fellow Alabamian and say, welcome home."

Lewis arose, walked toward her and grasped her hands.

Congressman John Lewis at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

"Why do you always make me cry?" she says he said to her.

"Brother, I don't mean to."

"But sister you do."

Years later, the emotion in Kennedy's voice is still apparent from their encounter. She wrote about Lewis in her recent memoir, "The Broken Road."

"He does not have an unlovable bone in his body," she says today.

He wore his battle scars on his chest

Lewis might not have been the most eloquent or physically imposing leader, but he earned respect for something else: His toughness. People recall how he seemed to come to every civil rights meeting with bandages on his head because he was beaten so much.

"People who think of John as cuddly and all of that, I say I want to see how many of them would be fierce enough to deal with the pervasiveness of segregation and stand up to it when standing up meant you got your ass kicked," says Courtland Cox, one of SNCC's leaders.

Lewis literally wore his beatings on his chest. Each time a SNCC worker participated in a campaign, they received pins or badges. They were like battle ribbons for soldiers, says Cleveland Sellers, another SNCC colleague.

Martin Luther King, Jr. locks arms with his aides as he leads a march to the courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 17, 1965. John Lewis is at far right.

Lewis had more than anyone else, Sellers says.

"People who had done stuff and showed that they were courageous and were willing to make the commitment -- they got the badges," Sellers adds. "People knew who Lewis was. People respected his story."

Lewis' reputation for risk-taking was so well known that some of his friends couldn't envision a future for him. Says Bernard Lafayette, Lewis' college roommate and a colleague in the sit-in movement, "I'm surprised that he survived."

He once asked for Obama's autograph

Lewis got a chance to see some of his deepest wishes realized when the nation elected its first black president in 2008.

According to The New Yorker's David Remnick , Lewis told a visitor at his House office on the day before President Obama's inauguration in January 2009, "Barack Obama is what comes at the end of that bridge in Selma."

At a luncheon after the swearing-in ceremony, Lewis approached Obama with a commemorative photo and asked for an autograph.

President Barack Obama hugs John Lewis during an event marking the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 2015.

Obama wrote: "Because of you, John. Barack Obama."

Six years later, the two men held hands as they marched through Selma to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that bloody moment in history.

He's maybe the last of his kind

Lewis no longer preaches to the chickens. And he never became that preacher he intended. But he's become a bridge from the optimism of a less partisan era.

John Lewis prepares to pay his respects to the late Rep. Elijah Cummings during a memorial ceremony on Capitol Hill on October 24, 2019.

He is that rare unifying political figure who commands respect from the left and right, someone who can call his political foes "brother" with virtually no one questioning whether he means it.

Here's a thought, though, that is almost as unsettling as contemplating Lewis' exit from the national stage:

He may be the last such figure we'll see in our lifetime.