ESTHER LEVERTON

 

Esther Christena Leverton, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and aunt, passed away on the evening of April 21, 2025, at 85 years of age, while under the care of Hospice of the North Coast in Carlsbad, California. She is survived by her soulmate and husband of 63 years, Jim Leverton, her daughter, Chris Leverton, and her grandchild, Mary Tian. She was preceded in death by her son Jimmy Leverton, her younger sister Mary Braswell, and her older brothers Don John and Del John. She will be dearly missed by all who loved her. 

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Esther was born September 6, 1939, among the citrus and avocado groves of Escondido, California, an agricultural city positioned along the foothills of the Cuyamaca Mountains, just miles from the Pacific Ocean. Her parents, Charles and Sarah John, moved to Escondido from Indianapolis, Indiana toward the end of the Great Depression, looking for a better life. The third eldest of four children, Esther was raised in a house their

father built on Lincoln Avenue using bricks he created and then laid with his own two hands. Charles worked

on a farm, then at a construction and gravel business, which is where he learned brickmaking. He sadly died

from cancer shortly after the family moved into the house, when Esther was only 12 years old. After his passing, Esther’s mother and maternal grandmother were left to continue raising the John children. Her maternal aunt, Esther (who she was named after), maternal uncle, Herb (who everyone called “Babe”), and his wife, Mable, all native Indianans, lived close by in Escondido and were bedrock members of the family. Having an aunt with the same name (they were often referred to as the “two Esthers”), Esther adopted the family nickname “Sis” at an early age. The name stuck with her throughout her life, and all of her future nieces and nephews knew her as “Aunt Sis.”

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Esther had a close relationship with her maternal grandmother, Christena Sering, who taught her how to sew and do needlepoint. Her grandmother also taught her canning at an early age. When Esther’s father was still alive, they gardened together in the backyard, and then she and her grandmother canned everything they grew. They also preserved needed produce from the local market when it became available. Esther’s grandmother gave her extra love and attention, which helped her through the challenges of childhood, especially after her father died. Her grandmother passed away a few years later, when Esther was in high school. 

 

While growing up had its share of hardship and loss, there was also plenty of fun to be had. Esther had countless stories to share about life in Escondido with her family back in the 1940s and 50s. With two older brothers who liked to get into mischief, it was never a dull moment. One of their more memorable antics was when they took the scarecrow from the family garden on Halloween night and hoisted it up the flagpole of the police station. The story made the local newspaper the next morning and filled the house with their grandmother’s laughter. Esther and her younger sister also paired up and had their own adventures, including the time they rode their bikes to the beach together, all the way from Escondido to Oceanside by way of Mission Rd. It was a long way to pedal - over 20 miles each way! On the way home, they saved some time by hitching a ride in the back of a neighbor’s truck.

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Esther and her siblings attended Escondido Union High School, which was founded in 1894 and remains to this day as the district’s flagship school. The family carried a musical gene, and Esther was no exception. While in high school, she played clarinet in the band. Her sister Mary played trumpet, her brother Del played the baritone and, as Esther would often say, her brother Don could “pick up any instrument and figure it out” (though, in high school he mainly played trombone). By the time Esther graduated high school in 1957, both of her brothers, who were several years older, had joined the military and set off on their own life adventures.

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After high school, Esther worked at a local laundromat. She also attended Palomar College in San Marcos for a while as she enjoyed the newfound freedom of being a young adult. It was nearing the end of the 1950s and rock n’ roll had emerged onto radio airwaves and television screens. The songs of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Everly Brothers defined the spirit of the day. Full-skirted dresses with fitted bodices were the style. In Escondido, the Ups n Downs roller rink was a popular hangout that Esther and her friends would frequent. Her younger sister met her future husband there after graduating in 1959, and was soon married and off to live the life of a military wife...

 

Esther was also an active member of the Palomar Temple of the Pythian Sisters, following in the footsteps of her mother and aunt, who started taking her and her sister to meetings in their teens. In 1961, Esther was elected the temple’s “Most Excellent Chief,” and at 22 years old, was the youngest person in the history of the temple to be elected to that role. As the newspaper clipping her mother proudly pasted into a scrapbook commemorated, “Miss John wore a gown of white lace and satin, studded with rhinestones,” and as she was installed, her sister Mary played Esther’s favorite song at the time, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ (from the musical Carousel) on the trumpet.

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The year 1961 would end up being a significant year for Esther in more ways than one, as it was also the year she met the love of her life. As the story goes, her best friend Mary Jane’s husband, Carl, pulled into her driveway one night on his way home from work and said he had a really nice guy he wanted her to meet who was sitting in the back seat. Esther rejected being set up at first, cursed at Carl, and turned around to walk back into the house, but... she was convinced to give it a chance. That was the life-changing moment when Jim Leverton, a Marine from Illinois who was stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time, came into Esther’s life. Within no time, she was smitten. Esther and Jim married six months later on April 21, 1962, at the beach chapel at Camp Del Mar. Through the years, including in the days before she passed, whenever sharing stories about how her and Jim met, Esther always expressed how truly lucky she was to have found such a good, decent man to spend her life with. 

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Esther and Jim did not honeymoon, however, three months after their wedding day, they moved to the paradise of Kāneʻohe Bay, on the “Big Island” in Hawaii, where they lived for the next three years while Jim was stationed there. Less than a year later, in 1963, their son Jimmy was born. And baby makes three! While in Hawaii, Esther settled in to becoming a new mother and saw her son take his first steps as he grew into a toddler. She gardened, including growing a pepper patch in the backyard (Jim loved peppers!). Despite being surrounded by oceans of water, their time living there was far from isolated. Esther made friends with their neighbors who also had sons - boys who were older than Jimmy that would entertain her with their playful antics. Esther saved up her money to fly her mother, Sarah, to the island after Jimmy was born so that she could meet her grandson and fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting Hawaii. Esther also got to spend time with her sister, Mary, who lived on the Big Island for a year while her husband, Bobby, was stationed there.

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In 1965, the family of three left Hawaii and returned to California. Jim was stationed back at Camp Pendleton and worked as an instructor at a motor transport school. One year later, in 1966, their daughter Chris was born on the military base. Not soon after, Jim was shipped out for a year-long tour of duty in Vietnam. While Jim was in Vietnam, Esther and the kids lived in a one-story apartment in Escondido near her mother, but soon would be on the move again. Over the course of the next several years, Esther led the nomadic life of a military wife and devoted mother of two. After Jim returned from his tour of Vietnam, the family first went to Paris Island, North Carolina for two months while Jim attended recruiter’s school, followed by three years of recruiting duty in Vincennes and Terre Haute Indiana. Next, he was transferred all the way to Okinawa, Japan. During a 30-day leave en route to Okinawa, the family returned to Escondido and stayed with Esther’s mother. During this time, they made the big decision to buy what would be their first and only home on Hannalei Drive in Vista, California.

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In 1972,  Jim returned from Okinawa and was then stationed in Yuma, Arizona, where the family lived for one year while they rented out their house in Vista. It was in Yuma that Jim retired from the Marine Corps on July 5, 1973, after more than two decades of service. The Leverton family then settled into their house in Vista. Esther was a top notch homemaker from that point on, and it didn’t take her long to make their house a home. Over the years, with great care and a labor of love, the Leverton home on Hannalei would grow and flourish. While Jim spent a lot of time tending to the yard and garden surrounding their home, Esther created handmade treasures within its walls. From baked goods and preserves, to knitting, crocheting, needlepoint and cross stitch – she had the magic touch and prolific talent. She could make a lot from very little, and put plenty of heart into everything she did. She had a generosity of spirit and always made others feel welcome. Each Christmas, she baked batches of “Esther cookies” and treats to share with all of the neighbors. Family get-togethers just wouldn’t have been the same without her trademark zucchini bread, banana bread or seven-layer cookies. She made baby blankets, dolls and clothing for family, friends and acquaintances alike, always as gifts (she would never accept payment for any of her hard work). Esther also donated her crafts to charitable causes, including social assistance programs through the church. More recently, she made masks to give away to people during the COVID pandemic.

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From motherhood to creative projects to miles-long walks around the neighborhood and more, Esther remained active throughout her life. Beyond the home front, especially once the kids were grown and out of high school, the Levertons had a joy for traveling that lasted until present-day. Esther and Jim loved to take road trips across the United States.. From sea to shining sea, they covered a lot of ground, visiting friends and family along the way. In 1991, Esther’s travels took her all the way across the Pacific to Beijing, China, where her daughter Chris had married and lived for 9 years. Esther made the long and memorable trip with her son, Jimmy, which was an amazing experience for them to share together! A decade later, on September 2, 2001, another amazing journey began for the family when their grandchild Mary was born in Salinas, California (where Chris lived after her return from China). At a moment in history when the events of 9/11 impacted the nation, followed by the tragic and sudden loss of their son Jimmy a few years later in 2005, having a grandchild shined a beacon of light even through the most trying times.

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Until her passing, Esther remained young at heart and had a great sense of humor. She always brought a laugh and never hesitated to speak her mind. Her daughter Chris recalled family gatherings where Esther had everyone rolling on the floor in laughter. Her grandchild Mary shared one of her jokes where she would say “You’re only as old as you feel” and then crawl on the floor like a baby. Having a youthful spirit, Esther connected with children, she loved being a grandmother, and also had an affinity for dogs. Starting with their first family pet–  a “mutt” named Peanut, there was always a canine member of the household to follow: Baby, Ninja, Odie (her son Jimmy’s dog), Gabe and Sydney (her daughter Chris’ dogs). In her later years, Esther also formed a special bond with the neighbor’s dog, a Labradoodle named Trefry who absolutely adored her. There was no one else quite like Esther, nor will there ever be. Any soul who met her knew, whether canine or human. She was truly one of a kind. 

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In the spirit of her father who shaped the bricks that would eventually become her childhood home, and her grandmother who taught her to sew and carefully preserve what was grown, Esther created a beautiful life from scratch. She found her soulmate early on and traveled hand in hand with him for more than six decades. She raised her children to become open-minded, free-thinking adults. She handcrafted gifts from the heart for others to treasure. She brought joy and laughter that could light up any room. She carried the memories of her family with her and wove their stories through her days like golden threads. Through thick and thin, she never lost her spark and will forever shine in the hearts of her loved ones.

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Esther Christena Leverton was cremated and will eventually be laid to rest with her husband Jim, beside their son Jimmy, at Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery in Escondido, California. 

When you walk through a storm
Keep your chin up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark.

At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet, silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you’ll never walk alone!
You’ll never walk alone.

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• You’ll Never Walk Alone,
  Rogers & Hammerstein