1919 – 2016

AUBURN — William Bewley Lever of Auburn died peacefully Sunday, June 26, at the Hospice House.

He was born Dec. 17, 1919, in Lewiston, the son of John Filmore Lever and Mary Bewley Lever. He was educated locally, graduating from Lewiston High School in 1936 and Bates College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941.

Bill taught English and French for one year at Union High School in Union, after which he was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Force in 1942. Bill served as a bombardier in the 6th bomber group, 207th Air Force, for 3½ years. He flew combat missions to Japan from the island of Tinian in the South Pacific.

Following his discharge from the service in December 1945, he was employed by State Mutual Insurance Co. of Worcester, Mass. His career as a life insurance agent spanned 47 years in the Lewiston-Auburn area. He was the first to admit that his best sales presentation resulted in his marriage to Muriel Thurston Hall in January 1947.

During those years, Bill was very much involved in the life of the local community, serving as special gifts chairman of the United Fund. He was also on the board of Central Maine Medical Center, serving as its chairman from 1978 to 1980. Bill was a communicant of Trinity Episcopal Church and served on its vestry for several years.

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Bill thoroughly enjoyed all of the great things that the Maine outdoors provided. He somehow always found time for hunting, skiing, and for the most captivating sport of all: golf. He served as president of the Martindale Country Club and was active in the Maine State Golf Association from 1958 to 1960. His innate skill and success as an amateur golfer proudly earned him induction into the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

He is survived by his two daughters, Barbara L. Sabin and Joan L. Chabot who, following the untimely death of his wife, Muriel, made his later years far happier than he ever imagined. The family suffered a wrenching blow when their son Bill, a gifted athlete and scholar at Bowdoin College, was killed in a tragic automobile accident at the age of 25.

Other family survivors include his sister, Betty of West Barrington, R.I.; Barb’s husband, Roger, of Andover; grandsons, Ben, of Tokyo and Michael and his wife, Kristina, of West Paris; Joanie’s husband, Marc, of Auburn; granddaughter, Nicole and wife, Becky; great-grandsons, Cole and Wyatt of Stoughton, Mass.; granddaughter, Katelyn and husband, Noel; great-grandson, Cian of Weymouth, Mass.

The Lever family would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the caring staff of Helping Hands and Hospice House, who provided immeasurable support and comfort in the final stages of Bill’s life.


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