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- [S5] Obituary.
TAMARAC, Fla. -- Galen E. Leavitt, 78, of Tamarac, Fla., died peacefully at Hospice by the Sea, Boca Raton, Fla., with family members by his side on Friday, Oct. 19. He was born Dec. 28, 1933, in Waterville, Maine, son of the late George (Joe Bean) and Helen (Levasseur) Leavitt. Galen graduated from Waterville High School in 1951 and then enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed in both Korea and Japan while serving in the Korean War as a combat photographer. Galen was most proud of the two days he spent on special assignment photographing Marilyn Monroe when she toured with the USO. In addition, Galen was the photographer of Operation Little Switch, which was the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of the Korean War between April and May 1953.
After marrying M. Estelle Gamache on October 9, 1954, Galen and his wife became residents of Oakland, Maine, where they raised four daughters and lived for 36 years. Galen was employed by Country Kitchen in the 1960s and then, always interested in sales, became a sales representative for Sunshine Biscuits and later for Mercer Enterprises of Canton, Mass., until an automobile accident in 1992 forced his retirement. In 1994, Galen and his wife moved to Florida, where they were residents of Orange Acres in Sarasota for 15 years. In 2009, they moved to Tamarac to be near family.
Galen was predeceased by his infant son, Chris, who died in 1957. Survivors include his beloved wife, Estelle, of 58 years; and their four daughters: Sherrie Coughlin and her husband, Michael, of Grovetown, Ga., Cristie Sabins and her husband, Ralph, of Tamarac, Narei Leavitt, of Pompano Beach, Fla., and Margo Pullen, of Oakland. Also surviving Galen are his five grandchildren: David Coughlin and wife Koren, of Oakland, Phil Coughlin and wife Jess, of Valley Falls, N.Y., Ashley Pullen of Waterville, Nathan Pullen, of Allston, Mass., and Michael Pullen, of Oakland. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren: Pierce, Ryleigh and Paxton Coughlin, all of Oakland, and Cadence and Arlene Coughlin, both of Valley Falls. Also surviving Galen are his sister-in-law, Jackie Gamache, of South China, Maine; brother-in-law Ronald Caron, of Wildwood, Fla.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Galen enjoyed playing golf for many years as a member of the Waterville Country Club. He was a 43-year member of the Waterville Elks Lodge, a lifetime member of the Waterville American Legion Post 5 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 01285, as well as a lifetime member of Disabled American Veterans, Sarasota.
Burial will be at South Florida VA National Cemetery. At Galen's request, there will be no public service. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. For those who wish, a memorial donation can be made to Hospice by the Sea, Inc., 1531 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486.
Published in Morning Sentinel on October 23, 2012
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