Ken was born in 1918 on July 27, in North Dakota. He had eleven brothers and sisters, four step brothers and sisters, and a dog. When he was two years old, he moved to Michigan. A few years later he lost his jacket in the woods, and he lost his dog too. When he found his jacket in the woods his dog was laying on it. As he grew up he had daily farm chores and walked one and a half miles to a one room school house. When he was in sixth grade and living ten miles from school, wearing his boots, bibs and Mackinac jacket, he rode in a built-on sleigh. When he got cold, he got out of the built-on sleigh and pushed it.
In school he had reading, writing, arithmetic and shop. He liked arithmetic and especially shop. He built furniture that is still in the family. He didn’t have computers then, but used a pencil and paper. He got in trouble for picking on his brothers and sisters.
He liked to go fishing, hunting and sledding, because there was deep snow and he played baseball a lot too. He listened to the Detroit Tigers on the radio and read many westerns and mysteries. He always watched Red Skeleton on television.
Every morning he got up and ate pancakes and eggs. When he was little, candy bars were five cents and when he went to the movies it cost him twenty- five cents. The only store that was in town was a small country store.
Ken Leveille earned a living most of his life by farming. He got married in 1940 in the Engadine Catholic Church and was married for fifty-five years to Lorraine Smith. They had three children, Ron, Becky and Don. He died in 1995.
Brad Baughman
Fifth Grade
Engdine Elementary
Thanks to Mr.Leveille, son of Joseph Kenneth Leveille, for giving me the information to write his father’s biography.
