Joseph "Al" Levesque

Joseph Maurice Albert Levesque, known lovingly as “Al” or “JMA,” died peacefully at home on Wednesday, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was in his 98th year and eager to join his late wife, Joye, to whom he was married for nearly 70 years and who passed away in October, 2020.

Al spent his last days with the people and things he loved the most: his family, soft-serve ice cream from Dairy Queen, the sports section of The Times Record, and the view from his window of the third hole of the Highland Green golf course, where he passed many afternoons golfing with friends and his daughter, Linda, and could be seen working on his chip-shot even a few weeks ago. As his time wound down, Al enjoyed watching his great-grandchildren play hide-and-seek out that same window, and was blessed with many visitors who came to see him off.

Al was born on November 26, 1925 — Thanksgiving Day — at home in Lewiston to Raoul and Aurore (Bosse) Levesque. The family took the turkey off the dining room table and Al was born right there. He attended St. Peter and Paul parochial school, then Lewiston High School, class of 1944, where he played hockey for the Blue Devils.

As a high school freshman, Al already had a deep commitment to service and wanted to do something to help his country. So in the fall of 1943, rather than waiting to be drafted after graduation, he enlisted as an Army Air Force cadet. Then it was off to Greensboro, North Carolina for Basic Training. After the Battle of the Bulge and D-Day, he was sent to Savannah, Georgia as an Air Operations Specialist. A highlight was flying in a B-24 to Havana, Cuba, for training and a little nightlife with fellow cadets. A lowlight was escorting the body of a fellow soldier back home to Holyoke, Massachusetts and presenting his mother with an American flag.

“I went in as a boy and came out as a man,” Al said of his military service. After being honorably discharged in 1946 with the rank of Sergeant, he attended the University of Maine, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1950.

Soon thereafter, Al married the love of his life: Joye Ann Cleveland. The two met on the pier at Old Orchard Beach. She was cold; he offered her his arm, his sweater, and, before long, an engagement ring. Al and Joye built a family and a home together in Auburn along with a summer cottage on Taylor Pond, where Al was a lifetime member of the Taylor Pond Yacht Club, and a winter residence in Ft. Pierce, Florida.

Continuing on with a life of serving others, Al was an Honor Ring Agent with Allstate Insurance from 1953-1992. In 2019, he was recognized for his military service along with fellow veterans from Maine with an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., where they visited the national memorials and were received with honor.

A devout Catholic, he was a member of St. Charles Borromeo in Brunswick. Also a devout golfer, he was a member of the Highland Green Golf Club, where he could be found headlining the weekly men’s scramble. A people person and a wonderful conversationalist, Al and other friends from Highland Green formed a monthly dining-out club called ROMEO — “Real Old Men Eating Out” — and he was also a regular patron of the Maine State Music Theater. Engagements with the Lewiston-Auburn Exchange Club and United Commercial Travelers Club rounded out his and Joye’s social calendar.

Al is celebrated by his children: Linda Levesque, of Brunswick, John Levesque, and his husband Marc Gup, of South Portland, Mary London, and her husband Kevin, of Topsham, and James Levesque, of Charlotte, North Carolina; his grandchildren, Ian London and his wife Erin of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Ellen London Crane, her husband Ben and their children Aurora, Harriet and Lucille of Boston; as well as his sister, Constance Desjardins, of Lewiston and her children Michel Moreau and Marc Moreau, of Lewiston; niece Lucille Levesque Scribner and her husband Robert, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and their children Elizabeth Scribner (Daniel Ulibarri), of Charleston, South Carolina, and Daniel Scribner (Carly Scribner) of Chicago, Illinois; along with many friends in Maine and Florida. Al was predeceased by his older brother, Gerard, who passed in 1977.

The family extends its deepest gratitude to Al’s caregivers: the compassionate teams from Comfort Keepers, including Lynette and Jacob; CHANS Hospice; and private caregivers Darlene and Kathy. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to CHANS Home Health Care and Hospice.

Arrangements are under the care of The Fortin Group Funeral Home | 70 Horton Street Lewiston, ME 04240 | (207) 784-4584