Marilyn Levering
GREENFIELD — Marilyn Levering’s obituary ends with a simple bible verse that friends and family say perfectly sums up her life: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Throughout her 91 years, the Greenfield woman worked tirelessly to make her community a better place to be, whether that meant leading the Girl Scouts as a military spouse stationed in Turkey or helping the Riley Festival become the four-day street festival it is today.
Levering was elected three times to the Greenfield City Council, which she served from 1996-2007. She also served on the boards of the local Smoke Free Coalition and H.J. Ricks Center for the Arts.
As a longtime Riley Festival volunteer, Levering was instrumental in establishing the festival as the public now knows it — advocating to shut down Greenfield’s main thoroughfares in the late 1980s so festivalgoers could flood the downtown each October.
Levering passed away peacefully in her home on Nov. 9, but friends say her legacy lives on.
“She was such an inspirational person. She was truly invested in making the world around her a better place, and you always knew she had your best interest at heart,” said Lori Elmore of Greenfield, who had known Levering for years.
“Marilyn was dedicated to her family, her church, her friends, her neighbors and her community. She is one of those people who made a difference, and she will most certainly be missed,” she said.
A native of Bangor, Maine, Levering graduated from high school in Akron, Ohio but later married a man from Oklahoma — her longtime husband, Richard Levering, who preceded her in death.
The couple eventually settled in Greenfield, where two of their three children still live.
In a funeral service Thursday, Nov. 17, Levering was remembered as a dedicated military spouse and mother who loved taking care of her family.
She was a frequent fixture at musical performances and other school events for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As a longtime member of Greenfield Christian Church, Levering served in a number of capacities over the years. She had been an elder, deacon, Sunday School teacher, choir member and Vacation Bible School volunteer, and also chaired the Evangelism committee.
For years, she and her husband led the church’s high school youth group, Christian Youth Fellowship. Family members fondly recalled the many times the couple hosted a houseful of teenagers for youth group events, with Levering cooking lasagna and keeping everyone entertained and fed.
Nancy Alldredge, who knew Levering through the Riley Festival committee and Greenfield Christian Church, said she made an indelible impact on the Greenfield community.
Levering served as street chairman for the Riley Festival for several years in the 1980s, when vendors were located within the former Danner’s department store building on the northeast corner of Main and State streets.
The vendors eventually outgrew the building and were moved out onto the downtown sidewalks, which made it hard for visitors to shop the booths and merchants to access downtown businesses.
Alldredge said Levering was instrumental in advocating for the temporary closure of Ind. 9 and U.S. 40, otherwise known as State and Main streets, so that the popular festival could spill out into the streets.
“She was very active in helping to get the process started so that we could close down 9 and 40, and it’s been closed (during the festival) ever since,” said Alldredge, who remembers Levering fondly. “She was always very kind and caring, and always seemed happy to help.”
