Community bids fond farewell to a favorite LW couple

MEMBER COLUMN

by Patti Green

LW contributor

We are saying “see you soon” to two of Leisure Worlds favorite residents. Mutual 4, especially, would like to thank, pay tribute and give our well wishes to longtime community servants Mike and Gail Levitt.

Shortly after moving to Leisure World in the late 1990s, Mike joined the Mutual 4 Board of Directors, slowly rising to president.

In 2004, Mike was elected to the Seal Beach City Council, representing District 5, which encompasses much of Leisure World.

Dividing his time between Mutual representation and Seal Beach business proved a real challenge. When elected by the city council to the office of mayor, Mike began attending conferences up and down the state. The work often took him away from Mutual governance, so he resigned from the Mutual board for a time.

After being termed out of city council, Mike was invited back onto the Mutual board, again rising to president.

Mike will serve in that capacity in Mutual 4 until he moves on to his and Gail’s next adventure. The couple is moving from Leisure World to another senior community in Beaumont, California.

The couple has purchased a home in this smaller community and it includes a big yard and a garage, where Mike will “finally have a garage to store all the stuff I’ll never need in,” he said.

During their quarter century in Leisure World, Mike and Gail were members and officers of several clubs and groups. They were active in the RV Club, Mini Farmers, Fun and Fitness Club, Friendly Couples Club and Rollin’ Thunder Golf Cart Club. Mike belonged to the American Legion Post 327 and the Lapidary Club. Also, because “man cannot live on bread alone,” he and Gail were members of The Wine Club and The Rat Pack Happy Hour Club.

Gail was known for her creative and organizational expertise. She served on the Golden Age Board of Directors and ran the Garden Club tours for years as well as serving on that club’s board of directors. She is president of the Bunco Club and belongs to the Yahtzee Club. She was once a Ceramics Club member, with Mike supervising the kilns.

We will sorely miss Mike and Gail and, with full hearts, wish them all the best for many years to come.

Mutual 4 pays tribute to Mike and Gail Levitt.