BRUNSWICK — Daniel Leveris and his wife Jane moved to Brunswick in 1973 with two used cars packed with wedding presents and a dream to build a life together.
That year, the Leverises established Down East Cleaning, a well-respected janitorial and carpet cleaning business, which they operated for many years.
Additional Photos
Though Mr. Leveris was immensely proud of his professional success, nothing topped the love he had for his family and closest friends.
Mr. Leveris died on Wednesday, just two months after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He was 61.
His wife said the business started with one client, Wright Pierce in Topsham, and blossomed over time into a thriving business in the community.
She said they had clients from Kittery to Boothbay Harbor. The bulk of their business centered in Falmouth, Yarmouth, Brunswick, Bath and the Topsham area.
In recent years, he focused on cleaning windows at local businesses.
“He treated their homes like his home,” his wife said. “He was very particular. He didn’t leave until he was satisfied.”
Mr. Leveris was remembered by his family and friends on Wednesday as a generous, hospitable and opinionated guy, who loved to laugh and lived his life to the fullest.
The Leverises raised four children and shared their faith, food and laughter with their family and closest friends.
He was Greek and took pride in his heritage. His wife chuckled Wednesday, saying she came from a small “conservative Yankee family.”
“It was a clash of two cultures,” she said. “It was just like (the movie) “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” I didn’t know I was supposed to feed everyone for the rest of my life.”
Feed they did. Jane Leveris reminisced on Wednesday about their summer vacations at Newfound Lake in New Hampshire. The Leverises and their extended family rented five cottages and took over the beach with their chairs, blankets and toys.
“We had a lot of fun times,” his wife said.
More recently, the family took winter skiing trips to Saddleback and Sugarloaf Mountain. Mr. Leveris would rent the biggest condo and pack the car with food and supplies for the week, his wife said.
“Our life was never boring,” she said. “I have so many good memories. He was so generous. He was never chintzy about the good times and the food.”
Mr. Leveris had a strong faith. In his early years, he volunteered as a full-time Jehovah’s Witnesses minister. His wife said their faith has helped her cope with his sudden loss.
“We’re feeling like life isn’t fair, but as Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Bible teaches us that there will be a resurrection back to the earth. Our faith is firm that we will see him again,” she said.
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:
mcreamer@pressherald.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.