Ernata Levesque completed 97 and a half wonderful years on October 31, 2018. Her generous heart that provided love and friendship for many friends and relatives finally gave up and she passed peacefully in the company of her only son, Adelard and her daughter-in-law Pamela Levesque. She will be lovingly remembered by her many friends and relatives across the United States and Italy.
Ernata was born in St. Elpidio, Italy, on May 11, 1921. In the closing years of WW2 her family moved to Teramo, Italy, where she worked as a secretary for the town administration. It was there that she met a swashbuckling, Clark Gable look-a-like US Army sergeant, Adelard Levesque, immortalized in the pages of Ernie Pyle’s book “Brave Men”, that arrived to take over the town’s administration. The inevitable romance followed, contributed to by the sharing of their common birthday, May 11, despite the fact that Adelard was 20 years her senior.
Like any good romance story, the end of the war resulted in a nearly 10 year separation. After a joyous re-union, they spent 3 years in Paris, them moved back to the US when Adelard retired from the Army. They spent many happy years in El Paso, Texas, where Ernata’s famous cooking skills provided enjoyment for many parties for visiting Italian Army officers and their wives and many local friends.
When Adelard’s health began to deteriorate, they moved to Jupiter, Florida where they remained under the loving care of her son, Adelard Jr. and his wife Pamela, who after Ernata’s husband passed in 1988, cared for her until the peaceful end.
Visitation will be held on Monday, November 5, 2018 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at AYCOCK-RIVERSIDE FUNERAL AND CREMATION CENTER, 1112 Military Trail, Jupiter, FL. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at 10:00 am at St. Jude Catholic Church, 204 US-1, Tequesta, FL. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park in Tequesta.
