Marie Levens Obituary (1929 – 2016) – Sacramento, CA
January 1, 1929 – February 3, 2016 Marie J. Levens, born to Southern Pacific Railroad employee LJ Kinney and his wife Jean, was the first baby born in Tucson, Arizona in 1929. The Chamber of Commerce gave her mother practical baby items and gave Marie a tiny baby ring that fit her perfectly. That ring now dangles from a charm bracelet along with other reminders of eight decades of a charmed life. The bracelet, family photos, and scraps of fabric left over from years of sewing for her family—most of which were made into quilts for her adult children—show Marie as active and curious, blessed with generosity and grace under fire. Over the years, she added travel charms to her bracelet: from Germany, a cuckoo clock, a chimney sweep and a tiny beer mug; Delft Dutch shoes and a windmill from Holland; a sterling silver tank from the Officer's Wives Club at Fort Knox, Kentucky; and a cable car in San Francisco. A pendant from the seagull statue in Salt Lake City commemorates the last cross-country trip with her first husband, Ralls C. Acker, Jr. A bead encased in gold wire commemorates a trip with her second husband, Al, to the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor. At Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, Marie served as a majorette and stick lathe operator, teaching younger children to twirl. Marie was also on the yearbook team and went on to study journalism at San Jose State College. Marie met her first future husband when he was going to school on the GI Bill. Although writing has always been Marie's passion, she also dabbled in other esoteric talents, such as working as a magician's assistant, but fortunately chose not to pursue a career that might result in her being cut in half with a chainsaw. At the time, it was not uncommon for college girls to earn an “MRS” degree instead of a bachelor's degree, which she did, and over the next eighteen years Marie showed a knack for logistics, resilience, and good humor, raising happy children large USA and Europe with her husband, an army officer. When her first marriage ended, Marie was working at the Westinghouse Corporation in Sunnyvale, California, and was quickly promoted from an administrative position to a technical position typically filled by engineers. She met her second husband, Elbert E. “Al” Levens, at Westinghouse. They married in 1971 and built a quiet weekend home in the foothills of California's Gold Country. After retirement, Marie and Al moved there and planned and enjoyed trips to unexplored ghost towns, the Sonoran Desert, the East Coast, the Canadian Rockies and Hawaii. Marie and Al moved to Sun City Roseville in 1997, where they made new friends and participated in many community activities. After Al passed away in 2001, Marie gradually resumed her active life with golf, billiards, mah-jongg and bridge. She volunteered at the Sutter Roseville Hospice Thrift Store and supported local and national charities. Marie wrote a column for one club in Sun City – once a journalist, always a journalist – and served as treasurer for another. Marie entered eternal rest on February 3, 2016. She is survived by son Robert Acker, daughter Christine Acker and son-in-law Peter Alvarado, all of Seattle; Douglas Kenyon of Morgan Hill, Calif., his wife, Kim, and their two children; David Kenyon of San Jose, Calif., his wife, Nancy, and their daughter; Donald Kenyon of Anchorage, AK, and his wife, Lori; niece Barbara Brown of San Jose, her husband Paul and their two children; Donald Kelsey of Danville, Calif., and his wife, Collette. Marie will also be remembered by her late husband Al's adult children: Wendy Levens of Winnabow, North Carolina, and her son; David Levens of Cupertino, California, his wife Pam and their daughter. The agreements are made privately. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice.
Published by The Sacramento Bee on March 20, 2016.
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