Family and friends are grieving the loss of Michigan grandparents after two separate tragic incidents during the holiday season. Scott Levitan and his wife, Mary Lou, passed away just days apart between Christmas and New Year’s, according to authorities.
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Scott passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 31, according to a report by ABC affiliate WXYZ. His death came just five days after a tragic incident in which he and his grandson fell through the ice while fishing on Lake George in Addison Township, per the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).
Mary Lou tragically passed away on Friday, December 27, in Oakland Township. She was seated in the back of a Jeep Grand Cherokee when the vehicle was struck head-on at 1:53 p.m. local time, according to the sheriff’s office.
Mary Lou was reportedly en route to retrieve her husband’s vehicle after he fell through the ice.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office described the two incidents as “a tragic start to the new year.”
Family and Friends Remember Scott and Mary Lou Levitan
Loved ones are now mourning the loss of Scott and Marylou, a couple who shared 40 years of marriage, per WXYZ.
Jamie Izzo, who spent 20 years teaching alongside Scott at South Lyon Middle School, described his close friend as “one of the best human beings I’ve ever met in my life.”
“I got up in the morning, checked that text,” Izzo told the outlet. “It was awful. Awful. And then, in the next day or two, I got the other text, which was unbelievable. That situation where his wife passed away the next day, going to get his car.”
South Lyon’s head football coach, Jeff Henson, recalled how Scott warmly welcomed him to the school.
“I didn’t know anybody,” he told WXYZ. “Coach Levitan was the first person that kind of befriended me and became one of my biggest supporters.”
Mary Lou’s daughter and nephew, who declined to speak with WXYZ on camera, shared that she was a devoted fan of the Detroit Red Wings and Lions. She also held season tickets for the Detroit Tigers, reflecting her deep love for the city’s sports teams.
Meanwhile, the Levitan family established a “Celebration of Life” GoFundMe for the beloved grandparents. “We plan to use these donations towards any lingering medical expenses as well as towards the Celebration of Life we will be doing in the summer for Scott and Mary Lou,” the Levitan wrote on the fundraising page in an update.
As of this writing, the campaign has raised over $5,800.
Authorities are currently conducting investigations into the ice fishing incident and the three-car collision.