Maurice Levesque

Maurice “Morrie” John Levesque, 79, passed away peacefully on November 16th, 2013 in his favorite spot, his chair, after properly mowing the lawn and storing the lawnmower for the season.

He was born June 12, 1934 in Erie, Pennsylvania to the late Charles J. Levesque and Jeanne Ouellet Levesque.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Cheryl (Guthrie) Levesque, whose cooking and companionship he missed dearly, and his brother and fishing and hunting buddy, Charles E. Levesque.

He is survived by his daughter, Michelle Tefft and her husband Andrew of Erie and son, John Levesque of Erie, three grandchildren, Graesyn and Brynn Tefft and Denita Pierce and one great-granddaughter, Kymberly Ann (on the way); all of Erie. He is also survived by his sisters, Janet Wisniewski (Dan) of Illinois, Sister Rose Marie Levesque of Wisconsin, and Lucille Jones (Harry) of Michigan, sisters-in-law Karen and Jeanne Guthrie of Erie, brother-in-law David Guthrie (Sharon) of Erie, and many nieces and nephews.

Morrie served in the Army from 1956-1958, where he became a mechanic specialist, sub-machinegun expert, and rifle sharpshooter. His training in the Army led him to a career as a mechanic for Millcreek Township until he retired in 1996, and some years as a stock car mechanic at local tracks. As a mechanic he was gifted, often able to quickly determine whether the problem was a “loose nut behind the wheel.” If by some chance he was unable to fix something, it was simply un-fixable, and he was not even willing to give up on his daughter’s Jeep “death wobble.”

An avid hunter, he travelled out West to Wyoming and Colorado with his father and brother and spent many summer days with family and friends fishing in his boat, Gemini. His garden was the envy of the block in a neighborhood where gardening was a competitive sport. He carried a photo of his rototiller, lovingly referred to as the “other woman” by his wife, in his wallet for many years.

In his later years, Morrie’s interests continued in a more vicarious way, as he closely followed NASCAR racing, hunting and fishing shows, and the Weather Channel, and directed his children carefully in car repairs and the operation of his grill, yard and garden equipment.

Friends may call at the Burton Westlake Funeral Home, 3801 West 26th Street (at Powell Avenue) on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral service will be held there on Saturday morning in the All Faith's Chapel at 11 a.m. Interment will be in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Memorials can be made to the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation, 130 West 8th Street, Erie, PA 16501 or the Lyme Disease Association, Inc., PO Box 1438, Jackson, NJ 08527. Send condolences at www.Burtonfuneralhome.com <http://www.Burtonfuneralhome.com>.