Shirley Jean Levy

Mrs. Shirley Jean Ragin Levy, the fourth daughter, and the sixth of seven children of the late Mitchell Ragin and late Clementine Moore Ragin, was born October 4, 1945, in Sumter, South Carolina. God called her home in the early morning hours of Friday, January 17, 2025, at MUSC-Downtown Hospital after a lengthy illness.
Jean was raised in Sumter as part of the large, proud, tight-knit Ragin family. She graduated from Lincoln High School in 1963 and remained a proud Lincoln Bulldog throughout her life. Jean followed in the footsteps of her older sisters, and continued her education at Morris College in Sumter, where she majored in Elementary Education. After graduating from Morris, Jean moved to Conway, SC, where she taught in the public schools of Horry County. While in Conway, she fell in love with and married her soulmate and love of her life, Thomas B. Levy, Sr., who was teaching at Whittemore and Conway High Schools in Conway. Jean and Thom were united in Holy Matrimony on December 23, 1971. They began their married life and started their family in Columbia, SC as Thom began law school at The University of South Carolina School of Law. To their blessed union, three wonderful sons were welcomed, Thom Jr. "Kip", Trey, and Todd. Jean was a doting and loving mom who adored her boys and enjoyed supporting them in their educational and extracurricular pursuits.
Jean was a devoted Christian who was baptized at an early age at Union Station AME Church in Sumter and was an active member of Zion Baptist Church in Columbia for her entire adult life. At Zion, she sang on the Zion Mass Choir, was a Deaconess, and taught Sunday School for many years. Always guided by her Christian faith, Jean and Thom made sure their sons knew The Lord and were grounded by Biblical scripture.
Jean and Thom were active members of the Morris College Alumni Association and were regulars at Morris College Homecoming events. They were big fans of HBCU sports and enthusiastically followed the SC State Bulldogs football team for many years. They were also active members of Club 24, a couples social and community service group, which included many of their closest friends. With their Club 24 friends, they traveled extensively, participated in impactful community service projects, and enjoyed many years of friendship and fellowship.
Jean taught and was a guidance counselor in the public schools of Richland County for more than 30 years. She taught at Greenview Elementary and J.P. Thomas Elementary Schools. She retired in 2014. She enjoyed being in the classroom, but her true passion was working as a guidance counselor and preparing students for standardized testing season.
Jean loved her family and was an ever-present figure at family functions including family reunions, weddings, funerals, holiday family gatherings, graduations, church family days, cook-outs, and birthday parties. Her family could always depend on her for prayer, words of encouragement, guidance, and when needed, gentle correction. She was affectionately nicknamed "The Deputy" by her nieces and nephews. She loved her siblings and was always there for them and their children.
Jean was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Thom, Sr.; her parents, Mitchell and Clementine Ragin and five siblings, James M. Ragin, Janie Ragin Johnson, John C. Ragin, Elma Ragin Rolle and Gloria Maxine Ragin.
Jean is survived and lovingly remembered by: her three devoted sons, Thomas "Kip" Belton Levy, Jr., Trey Ragin Levy and Todd Fitzgerald Levy; Kip's fiancé, Brandy Isles; her brother, Ira "Tex" E. Ragin; her sisters-in-law, Mildred Jones Ragin, Janet Levy Lewis, Mary Levy and Elizabeth Levy; her brothers-in-law, Richard Levy, Reuben O. Levy, Sr. and Alfred Lewis; her nieces, Sandra, Renee, Tamera, Hope, Nikki and Krystal and her nephews, Wayne, Mitch, Kurt, Patrick, Trent, and Troy and her godchildren. She also leaves behind several loving Ragin, Levy and Cain family members, a host of wonderful friends in Columbia, Sumter, and Conway, and her classmates from Lincoln High School and Morris College.
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