Dammit this one really hurts. It is my sad duty to report the passing of great friend and industry shaper Michel Levy Boudreaux. Michel died unexpectedly at her home in Harahan, LA, on Thursday, January 19, 2023. She is survived by her beloved husband, business partner and devoted caregiver Kevin K. Boudreaux. The couple recently celebrated their 42nd anniversary.
Born November 11, 1954, and raised in the New Orleans area, Michel was the daughter of renowned Louisiana insurance entrepreneur and BGA Mike Levy who preceded her in death in 1992. Mike entered the business in 1954 in personal production, became a Manhattan Life GA, then made the leap and opened Mike Levy Associates.
Michel worked for her father throughout high school and college and, upon graduating from the University of New Orleans with a degree in Business Administration in 1977, she joined the agency full time as brokerage manager and ultimately president. Mike Levy, along with five others, founded the marketing group National Brokerage Agencies (NBA). Again following her father’s footsteps, she served a term as president of that organization.
Michel also served on committees and positions on the board of the New Orleans Association of Life Underwriters and became president in 1997. She was later awarded their Distinguished Member award. Michel then stepped into many positions on the Louisiana Association of Life Underwriters including the 1999 convention chair. She served as a delegate for numerous state and national conventions. Michel worked, along with Kevin, providing excellent service to agents and clients nationally until her death.
Michel also had a passion for preserving personal and family memories through scrapbooking. She cultivated her creative energy as an active leader in Creative Memories (1999) and Photo Solutions (1999), hosting scrapbooking events for a large group of friends. Upon discovering FOREVER.com in 2015, she quickly became a FOREVER Qualified Ambassador, claiming, “My memories need a permanent home; they need FOREVER.com.” In a December, 2019, article in Broker World, Michel explained that “There is only one company that includes permanency in their financial plan: FOREVER. FOREVER’s promise is that you will pay once for FOREVER Storage® and own it for your lifetime +100 years, guaranteed.”
That really exemplifies Michel’s wealth of talent, compassion, service and creativity—to serve not only clients’ financial and health protection needs, but to think outside the box and add protection of treasured family memories to her service repertoire as well.
I’m honored to be able to claim close friendship with Michel and Kevin for more than 35 years. Hope and I frequently travel to NOLA and no trip was ever complete without at least one meal with them. And I would usually feel compelled to tip double as we tied up the table for hours while Kevin and Hope caught up and Michel and I inevitably got lost in wonderful conversations. Michel Levy Boudreaux had a beautiful caring heart and gave me true, loyal and priceless friendship which I will dearly miss.[SPH]
