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Friday, December 22, 2023
On Wednesday, December 6, past and present employees of the Levittown School District came together at St. Bernard’s Church in Levittown for the annual Levittown District Memorial Mass. The non-denominational service acknowledged fellow workers who have passed away in 2023 and afforded members of the Levittown community the opportunity to meet with past acquaintances and extend heartfelt greetings of the holiday season to one another.
The Levittown District Memorial Mass has been a tradition in the Levittown district since 1970. The mass began when a beloved Division Avenue High School math teacher, Thomas Murphy, passed away during the December holiday season. Two of his close friends and colleagues at Division Avenue High School, Louis DesRoches and Joe Mezzapesa, decided to honor Thomas Murphy’s memory by having a memorial mass for him at St. Bernard’s church. The mass continued to be held each December. As the years went on, other teachers who had passed away were also remembered at the mass. In 1980, it was decided that the memorial mass would be held in memory of not just deceased Levittown District teachers, but all deceased employees of the Levittown School District.
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