SYRACUSE – Paul A. Levernier, 98, passed away at 8:15 a.m. Aug. 15, 2015, in Indianapolis, after a brief illness. He was born Dec. 10, 1916, in Denver, Colo., to Martin W. and Era Chambers Levernier. He married Pauline Sunday who preceded him in death. He spent his early years in Winnetka, Ill., on his grandparents’ farm while finding ways with his brother to get to downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan to explore and fish. At the age of 10, he moved to Huntington. He was a graduate of Huntington High School. Throughout high school he was on the swim team and leisure time was spent at Lake Wawasee. He attended Purdue University and graduated in 1939 with a degree in chemistry. He was a member of the Purdue University Swim Team throughout his college years. Following graduation, he briefly worked for Huntington Laboratories, then General Electric, in Kankakee, Ill.; and DuPont before moving to Richland, Wash., to work for the Atomic Energy Commission, helping build the atomic bomb during World War II. He returned to Indiana and Lake Wawasee after the war, working at Levernier Laboratories, a company owned by his father. In the late ’50s he formulated an auto polish and related products and founded Custom Crest Auto Products. Always an avid fisherman, much of his retirement was spent fishing in Michigan, Canada and Alabama. He was an accomplished woodworker, building cub cruisers and paddleboats, refinishing antiques, and designing and building many beautiful pieces of furniture. He was also a gardener and at one time a professional portrait photographer. He was a past president and longtime member of Rotary International, being named a Harris Fellow in December 1980. He was on the Board of Directors, the State Bank of Syracuse. He was president of the PTA of Syracuse High School. He was very involved in the activities of the schools and the town of Syracuse. He was a member of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. Survivors are: his daughter, Shirley (and spouse Larry) Levernier Halbach, Indianapolis; three grandchildren: Tim Halbach, Boston, Mass.; Tiffany Halbach, Indianapolis; Chris Bales, Syracuse; one great-granddaughter, Scout Avery Bales, Syracuse; a sister, Mary Jane Levernier Wiersch, Springfield, Mo.; a brother, Daniel C. Levernier, Milford; and many nieces and nephews. He also was preceded in death by his daughter, Sharon Levernier Bales; two brothers, Lynn D. and Robert W. Levernier; his son-in-law, Darrell Bales; and a granddaughter-in-law, Elizabeth Urban Halbach. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Eastlund Funeral Home, Ind. 13 South, Syracuse, with Pastor Wendy Piano and the Rev. Carl Satre officiating. Burial is in Syracuse Cemetery. Calling is from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday and one hour prior to the service Friday at the funeral home. ***** Memorials to Turkey Creek Township EMS, The American Heart Association or The American Cancer Society.
