Mary E. Leavitt

Mary Evangeline Leavitt was known for her singing far and wide and her music brought comfort to many others throughout her ninety-nine years of life.  She spent her childhood on a farm near Yamhill, Oregon with her parents, Teddy and Esther Leavitt, and her four younger brothers Ted, Don, Dale, and Gordon.  Her dad was a preacher, and Mary often accompanied him to sing at his services.  She sang with conviction, and her music affected people deeply because it was so heartfelt.

Mary married traveling evangelist Doug Winn when she was eighteen, and she went back to Virginia with him to raise a family in Martinsville.  Mary stayed home with her children Nancy, Donna, Bob, and Doug while her husband continued to preach all over the country.

Their relationship ended in 1958, and Mary brought her children to start a new life in Portland, Oregon.  With no child support coming in, Mary was a single parent working four jobs at times to make ends meet.  She settled on a career working as a buyer and manager for Lipman and Wolfe and other stores in the Portland area.  She enjoyed connecting with customers on a warm and personal level.  Her department continued to set sales records, but what was more important to Mary was her personal connection to others.

The focal point of Mary’s life was faith and family.  Through her connection to Hinson Memorial Baptist Church, she met and eventually married Keith Clark.  Keith had an avid interest in showing chickens at fairs and Mary jumped right in whole heartedly.  Later they switched to a focus on raising Polled Herefords, all with the same passion.

After Keith passed away, Mary moved to La Pine, Oregon.  She was an enthusiastic member of the Cascade Bible Church.  In addition to helping fellow church members as much as she could, she comforted people at the local hospice.  No matter who they were, Mary took care of them and loved them without judgment.  It’s like she didn’t have the capacity to judge or blame.  She just loved people the way they were.

Mary spent her last years in Portland so she could be closer to her surviving children Donna and Doug, first at a retirement center and then at Veronica Pocal’s adult care home.  In each place she lived, Mary would find a way to minster to others with her singing.  Time and time again when Donna and Doug met someone who had been touched by Mary’s presence, they were told, “Oh we just love your mom.”   Mary had an uncanny way of touching people’s hearts wherever she went.  She will be loved and missed by all who knew her.