LEWISTON – Ida Levesque, 101, a lifelong resident of 591 College St., since 1936, died peacefully in her sleep with family by her side on Jan. 6, at d’Youville Pavilion.

She was born May 11, 1904, in St. Paul de la Croix, Quebec, the daughter of Marie Louise Veilleux and Ernest Cote. She was one of 21 children. Coming to the United States when she was four years old, she attended a one-room school house, up to the third-grade, at the corner of Stetson Road and College Street.

She was married on May 31, 1926, at St. Mary’s Church (now the Franco American Heritage Center in Little Canada) to Eddie E. Levesque. She was naturalized on March 20, 1941. She worked in shoe shops in Lewiston and Auburn most of her adolescent and adult life.

She was known to spar with her brother, Cannonball Cote a well-known boxer in the L-A area. She had seven children, 15 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; 20 great- great-grandchildren with two more on the way. She was a very religious person, having walked to church every morning before going to work.

Until the end, she has continued to pray daily for each of her family members, friends, and the sick. She enjoyed walking four miles each day while at her camp in Poland Spring. She also enjoyed playing cards with family and friends. She will be greatly missed by all.

She is survived by four daughters, Beatice Lavertu of Lewiston, Lorette and her husband, Roland Jean, of Poland Spring, Rejane Lemieux of Lewiston, and Irene and her husband, Eugene Guidotte, of Lewiston; grandchildren, AnnaRose and her husband, Lucien Gosselin, of Lewiston, Susan and her husband, Robert Gravel, of Greene, William and his wife, Andrea Lavertu, of Turner, Gloria Lavertu and her partner, Sharon Ness, of Madison, George and his wife, Kim Lavertu, of Greene, Paul and his wife, Kathy Lemieux, of Sabattus, Rita and her husband, Philip Lewis, of Sabattus, Ida Real, of Lewiston, Louis Lemieux, of Captain Hook, Hawaii, Irene and her husband, David Marshall, of Monmouth, Clement and his wife, Patricia Lemieux, of St. Petersburg, Fla., Marie Lemieux and her partner, Jeanne Cyr, of Lewiston, Joseph and his wife, Katherine Rakowski, of Fort Myers, Fla., Tina and her husband, Brandon Dietter, of San Marcos, Calif., Theresa and her husband, Scott Allocca, of Poland Spring; great-grandchildren, Luke and his wife, Ann Gosselin, of Lewiston, Laurie-Anna Gosselin and her fianc, Brian Savard, of Lewiston, Bobbie Sue Brown, of Greene, Christie Lynn Gravel and her fianc, Bob Keenan, of Greene, Patrice and her husband, Todd Slocum, of Pownal, Jessica Lavertu and her fianc, Lucas Rodrigue, of Lewiston, Jeremy Lavertu, of Turner, John and Ryan Lavertu, of Greene, Jeff and his wife, Amy Lemieux, of Kennebunk, Jenny Ryder, of Sabattus, Nathaniel Lemieux, of Italy, Aaron Lewis, of Sabattus, Rebecca and her husband, Chad Vincent, of Lewiston, Isaac Lewis, of Sabattus, Christine and her husband, Jonathan Robinson, of Readfield, Joey Lemieux, of Lewiston, Amy Lemieux, of Sabattus, Eddie Lemieux, of Lewiston, Hannah Lemieux, of Flushing, N.Y., Ryan Belanger, of Anchorage, Alaska, Lindsay and her husband, Roland Delorme, of Greene, Ian and Kyla Lemieux, of St. Petersburg, Fla., Asti Davison and Adele Allocca, of Poland Spring, Amber and her husband, Aaron White, of Fort Myers, Fla., Joseph Eugene (Cote), Allyssa Marie and Allison Rakowski, of Fort Myers, Fla., Azelle and Drew Dietter, of San Marcos, Calif.; great- great-grandchildren, Cole Savard, of Lewiston, Alex and Matthew Brown, of Greene, Ashley Sue, and Christian Keenan, of Greene, Bailey Slocum, of Pownal, Leland Eli Rodrigue, of Lewiston, Abigail and Brady Thomas Lemieux, of Kennebunk, Cheyenne and Maggie Ryder, of Sabattus, Evan Stoner and Owen Vincent, of Lewiston, Mariah and Alexis McLaughlin, of Sabattus, Dalton and Ezkiel Delorme, of Greene, Emma White, of Fort Myers, Fla., and Joseph Lemieux III, of Lewiston; many nieces and nephews; and a sister-in-law, Cecile Cote of Auburn.

She was predeceased by her parents; husband Sept. 14, 1984; 20 siblings; four sons-in-law; and one great-grandchild, Sarah Lewis.

A special thank-you to the staff at d’Youville Pavilion, 2-West, and the Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, for the special care and kindness they showed to Ida.

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