Mary Elizabeth Levine

In Loving Memory of Mary Elizabeth “Sage” Levine
September 26, 1950 - November 4, 2024

Mary Levine, affectionately known as “Sage” by those who knew and loved her, passed away peacefully in her home in New Haven, CT on Monday, November 4, 2024. Known for her sharp wit, boundless curiosity, and genuine warmth, she had a rare gift for making people feel at ease, always eager to explore any topic with open-minded insight and humor.

Sage was born on September 26, 1950 in Waterbury, CT to Isabel (Grimes) Sage and Miles Donald Sage and grew up in Naugatuck, CT. She attended St. Francis School, with her older sister Peggy, and then Naugatuck High School. After graduating in 1968, she attended Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, NY, majoring in English, graduating in 1972. A lifelong lover of books and the art of conversation, Sage consumed books of all kinds, beginning in those school days, and remained an avid reader for the rest of her life.

After college graduation, she lived in CT working in different retail jobs, reading books, and spending time with friends. In the summer of 1972, she met a young man from New Haven who captured her heart. Jerry Levine, charmed by Sage’s wit and humor, shared her love of music, movies and television. Within a year, he asked her to marry him. Her reply, in typical Sage wit was, “Ok, but only if I can be in charge.”

The two were married in the summer of 1973 in Naugatuck, CT. They lived in Hartford for a while, then New Haven, and in 1976, she gave birth to their first son, David. They moved their family to Pennsylvania, and in 1981, while living in Scranton, she gave birth to their second son, Joshua.

A year later, they moved to Naugatuck and settled there for the next 18 years, raising their two boys, reading more and more books, and even starting a book club with her close friend Cathy where she was able to marry her love of reading with great conversation. She prided herself in raising her family, providing for them working in the family business running retail stores in the Naugatuck Valley Mall, The Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT, and other malls in and around New England, often with a book in her lap. She could be seen sitting with Jerry, cheering on her boys, at Peter J. Foley Little League games, Naugy High football games (GO Greyhounds!) and many, many concerts!

In 2000, after her children left for college and beyond, Sage and Jerry moved to New Haven to live in the house where Jerry’s parents lived for so many years. In 2006, Jerry lost his leg to an infection that also destroyed portions of his spine, leaving him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. She dedicated her days to helping him overcome his new disability. In 2016, she was diagnosed with the beginning stages of dementia. Now, Jerry dedicated his days to caring for her. She fought the disease for 8 long years with his loving help, exercising her mind and body, working with her day in and day out. She eventually succumbed to the illness on November 4, passing peacefully in her sleep in her own bed.

She is survived by her devoted husband Gerald, their two sons David (and his wife Stella, their two children Max and Lucy of San Diego, CA) and Josh (and his wife Tina and their two daughters Rory and Genevieve of Windsor Locks, CT), and her sister Peggy of San Francisco, CA.

A Memorial Luncheon will be held in her honor at Eli’s on Whitney in Hamden, CT on Sunday, November 10, at 1:00pm. Please RSVP clicking this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxXFCkP3l2j7iTW5oXwn6f7M1k93Wk9nfVdugpL8KHUWK1HQ/viewform.

To paraphrase Kipling, Sage could make any room her own, not by claiming it, but by making it feel as if it had always belonged to everyone. In lieu of flowers, go read a book or donate to your local library… Sage would’ve appreciated that.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Buckmiller Thurston Mengacci Funeral Home, 82 Fairview Avenue, Naugatuck.