Mary Antoinette Jean Schepens Levens

Mary Antoinette Jean Schepens Levens, 89, born September 23, 1936, passed into her eternal life on April 3, 2026, Good Friday. Mary was the fourth of six children of Theresa Dauro Schepens, a second-generation Sicilian immigrant, and Leo A.N. Schepens, a first-generation immigrant from the Netherlands (Holland).

In addition to her parents preceding her in death. Mary was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Gene Levens (1999), her daughter, Bernadette Levens Tolson (2020), and her grandson SSgt. Donnie Levens, USMC (2006). Additionally, she was preceded in death by her two brothers, Sal Schepens and Sidney Schepens. Mary was also preceded in death by her half siblings, Elizabeth Stupack Waldrop, Helen Stupack May, Angelina Stupack Hubbard, Leo Schepens, Jr., and Lena Schepens Pavlicek. Also, Mary was preceded in death by her sisters-in law, Joan Schepens and Connie Schepens and brother-in-law, Emmett Niolet.

Mary graduated from St. John’s High School, class of 1954, and shortly thereafter started her work career. Mary’s career started in the mid 1950’s as a self-taught accountant and tax-preparer, spanning 70 years, retiring in 2025. Her business, Levens Accounting & Tax Services, had offices in Gulfport and for 35 years also in Pascagoula. She maintained her independent business until merging it with her daughter’s CPA firm, Bernadette Levens Tolson, CPA, P.A., in 1985. It was a life vocation that she thoroughly enjoyed, helping people with the financial plans of their lives and providing mentorship to many small businesses over the decades. Her approach to helping folks was a pragmatic approach around the necessities of life. Her business and civic awards included U.S. SBA Women in Small Business Award for Mississippi, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2013 and Carnival Association of Long Beach Queen Rosalie 2003. She was active and had leadership roles with both the Long Beach and Gulfport Chambers of Commerce. One of her other passions was the joy of home construction (her actual hobby). Mary was instrumental in constructing dozens and dozens of houses over the years in Long Beach and West Gulfport. She made housing affordable with financing available to first-time home buyers.

Mary had a saying “You will meet more people in life through your children (and grandchildren) and their activities than you will ever meet on your own.” Mary lived this axiom her entire life through her involvement with her children through various PTO and school activities at St. Thomas Catholic Elementary School and the Long Beach School System.

Due to economic limitations, Mary never attended college, although education was extremely important to her and her late husband, Gene. They insisted that all nine of their children had to attend college. These efforts yielded eighteen college degrees (associates, bachelors, and masters) among their children.

The family recognized the limitation economics places on families for attending college and as such endowed a fund at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, “Mary and Gene Levens Scholarship Fund.” Since its inception in 2000, over fifty students have received assistance to attend college from this Fund.

Mary’s Catholic faith was the foundation and value system that orientated her entire life in how to live her life and treat other people with complete respect, forgiveness, unconditional love, all with no judgement. She has been a part of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church her entire life, serving in numerous lay leadership roles. In 2013 the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi awarded Mary the Lumen Christi (Light of Christ) award for her service.

Family and friends were the ultimate passion that drove Mary’s actions. She had an incredible memory for names, but not just knowing people’s names, but their family history and their story. She absolutely relished her connection to people. She has been described by friends as … “role model, mentor, inspirer, entrepreneur, leader, women of extreme Christian faith, visionary, hard-worker, joy filled, happy, successful in life, and living a life worth imitating.” Mary is the true matriarch of her exceptionally large family, serving as the glue that holds it together, an extended family of about ninety folks, a family of which she was so proud. She took great interest in each of her nine children’s families, grandchildren and great grandchildren and their respective interests and activities, never missing a birthday among the generations.

Mary’s message “I would like to thank all the people who I encountered throughout my life journey, it has been a true delight to have made so many wonderful friends over the years. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life. I have truly lived a blessed life!”

Mary is survived by her siblings, Henry Schepens, Theresa Schepens Niolet, Joe (Sue) Schepens and sister-in-law, Gladys Schepens.

Mary is also survived by eight of her nine children and their spouses, all of whom reside in Long Beach, MS: Jimmy (Lucy) Levens, Jerry (Cindy C.) Levens, Earl (Cindy F.) Levens, Jimie Tolson, Mary Jean Levens (Keith) Hieser, Margaret Levens (Grady Stone), Donna Levens (Thomas) Schmidt, Clay (Susan) Levens, and Linda Levens (Steve) Shirk.

Mary is survived by 28 of her 29 grandchildren and their spouses, as indicated: Audri Levens (Corey) Neyland, Ali Levens (Johnathon) Damiens, Marcie Levens (Zach) Comiskey, Lucy Levens (Kyle) Cassagne and James (Gaby) Levens; Jay (Mandy) Levens, Andrew (Erica) Levens and Jenny Levens (Scott) Brown; David Levens, Michael (Brianna) Levens and Leigh Ann (Page) Levens-Graham; Tricia Tolson (Nick Smith), Tyler Tolson and Zachary Tolson (fiancée Haleigh Tyson); Bradley Hieser and Lindsay Hieser (Owen) McNally; Cabrina Levens and Matthew Levens; Tom (Lauren) Schmidt, Phillip (Grace) Schmidt, Marianne Schmidt, John Michael (Sarah) Schmidt and Abby Schmidt; Hannah Levens and Emma Levens; Samuel Shirk, Ada Shirk and Jenna Shirk.

Mary’s legacy will continue through her 41 great grandchildren: Darcy and Fae Neyland; Anna Belle and Jonathon James “JJ” Damiens; Callum, Paxton, Davis and Sage Comiskey; Weston, Liam, Lucy and Rhodes Cassagne; Macie Buza and Ava Levens; Reagan and Parker Levens; Anniston and Chandler Brown; Hunter, Marlee and Maylee Levens; Makaiah and Gwendolyn Lobach; Reid and Ella Kate Levens; Hayden Seward, Porter Smith ; Irene, Vera, Paul and Peter McNally; Kyonna and Elijah Levens; Mary Claire, Adelaide, Charlotte and Thomas Schmidt; Frank and Anne Joseph Schmidt; Dominic and Janie Schmidt; and two more great grandchildren on the way! Additionally, Mary is survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Mary’s visitation will be on Friday, April 10,2026, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Long Beach, MS. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. The service will be at Mary’s church where she has been a parishioner her entire life. A reception will immediately follow the funeral mass in the Community Center at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

An interment will follow the reception at Evergreen Cemetery in Gulfport, MS.

PLEASE NO FLOWERS OR PLANTS.

Memorial gifts are appreciated to the following charity, whose mission is to assist neighbors’ struggling with housing and food insecurities:

St. Vincent DePaul Society

c/o St. Thomas the Apostle Conference

712 E. Beach Blvd.

Long Beach, MS 39560

The Riemann Family Funeral Home, Long Beach, is serving the family.