Lee Merritt Levitan

Lee Merritt Levitan, of Milton, Mass., known by all those who knew her as Merritt, beloved and adored daughter of Richard Alan and Anna Cheshire Levitan, cherished big sister of Hunter Levitan and Joseph Levitan, died on July 3, 2013 in Memphis, Tenn. after being struck by a car in rural Arkansas on Day 12 of a cross-country bicycle trip. Merritt began her bike journey by tipping her wheels in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina and then traveled with her group of new friends and fellow adventurers over 800 miles to cross the Great Mississippi with joy. This journey was the most recent challenge and adventure Merritt had prepared to conquer after graduating from Milton Academy in June of this year. Merritt is survived by her parents; her brother and sister; her grandparents, Ralph and Phyllis Levitan of Blue Bell, Pa.; and Ed and Judy Cheshire of St. Simons Island, Ga.; aunts and uncles, Terri and Dr. Howard Katzenstein of Alpharetta, Ga., Rob and Elaine Cheshire of Austin, Texas, Paul and Lauren Cooks Levitan of Mill Valley, Calif., Webb and Diana Cheshire of Carmel, Ind.; and her many loving and adoring cousins to whom, as the oldest of them all, Merritt served as a loving leader, guide, and example for all to follow. Merritt was born in Boston, Mass. on Oct. 11, 1994, attended Kingsley Montessori School in Boston and then went on to spend 13 years at Milton Academy in Milton, Ma., graduating on June 7, 2013. She was an accomplished student and athlete, a member of the varsity ski and tennis team for all four years of high school and Captain of the Milton Academy Tennis Team this past year. Merritt was a managing editor of the independent Milton Academy newspaper and was awarded The Laurence S. Persky Memorial Award for excellence in work appearing in Milton Academy student publications. She was head of the outdoor club at Milton Academy and was on her way to Colgate University to continue her studies and pursue her dreams. Merritt had a special place in her heart for Sugarbush in Warren, Vt., where she skied each winter for the past 11 years and was a coach in Sugarbush's weekend youth ski program, Blazers, for the past four years, mentoring and coaching young skiers from 6-8 years old to learn to love and become passionate about the sport she cherished beyond all else. Merritt was an adventurous, brave, compassionate, thoughtful and remarkable young person who touched many people in her 18 years. She was known by her peers as a leader and considered to be wise beyond her years and as a close friend of the family shared recently, an evolved soul. Merritt was diagnosed in Jan. 2001 as a Type 1 Diabetic and received extraordinary care and support from Dr. Alyne Ricker and Nurse Practitioner Kerry Milaszewski, along with all other members of their team at the Joslin Center in Boston, Mass. Merritt took the challenge of managing her diabetes head on from day one and never let it stand in the way of anything she chose to do, including this last challenge she took on and prepared for meticulously, to cycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific over a six week journey. Merritt will be missed deeply by all who knew her and will be remembered forever. Memorial services will be held at Trinity Church, Copley Square in Boston on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 2 p.m. and Lovely Lane Chapel on St. Simons Island, Ga. on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to be made in Merritt's honor to one of three organizations that Merritt cherished – the Blazers Program at Sugarbush, Milton Academy, and the Joslin Center for Diabetes. Information will be available on http://www.memorialparkfuneralandcemetery.com/obituaries/Lee-Levitan/ soon with details on making donations to specific funds at each institution in Merritt's name to honor her memory forever.