Sara Berry Levy, 82, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on January 17, 2020. Sara was born on October 10, 1937 in Meridian, Mississippi. During her life, she lived throughout Southern Mississippi, Texas and Metairie, Louisiana where along with her husband, she raised her two daughters. Later she spent a significant amount of time in Washington State, Vancouver, Canada and eventually Florida.
Sara had a great love for mission work and lived her life by Christ’s example. She generously gave of her time and talents in the service of her Lord. With a deep passion for helping people, she volunteered her time working in Nicaragua and Honduras helping to provide medical and dental care for the underprivileged in remote villages and towns. She was fluent in American sign language and used this skill to translate church services in her young adult years. She would later travel several times to Kingston, Jamaica to work in a school for the deaf that was located there. During her time in Vancouver, Canada she taught English as a second language to new immigrants through Gladstone Baptist Church as well as volunteered her time at Mainstay, a local inner-city mission.
Sara graduated from Clarke College with an Associate of Arts degree and often talked very fondly about her time there. She kept in touch with her college friends and traveled to reunions until she was no longer able. Sara had a gift for making people feel loved and cared for, and drew people to her with her genuine warmth. She had a special place in her heart for children and did everything from working with special needs youth in New Orleans to teaching Sunday school and GA’s in her churches.
She also loved flower gardening and created beautiful English style gardens at her house in Washington state. Sara was an incredible cook and left her daughters with many well-worn books full of favorite recipes and memories of her in the kitchen making Southern and Louisiana classics.
Most of all, Sara loved her family; her daughters and grandchildren were the most important people in the world to her, and she genuinely cherished every second that she got with her grandchildren. Her greatest desire was to have her family trust and love Jesus and each other.
Sara is preceded in death by her husband Arthur I. Levy Sr., mother Fleta (Brown) Berry, father Prentis L. Berry, sister Doris (Berry) Beal, and bothers Earl Berry and James “Jim” Berry. She is survived by two loving daughters: Leah A. Levy and husband Willie and Leslie L. McGuckin and husband Jack. Four cherished grandchildren: Jonathan, Ella, Asher, and Alyna.
As you think of Sara's homecoming, it is our hope that you will keep this verse close to your heart:
“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Psalms 16:7-10 (NIV)
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) or Shelter House (www.shelterhousenwfl.org).
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