Dr. Robert Levene, 73, of Kansas City, Missouri, died on June 26 surrounded by his family.
Graveside services were held on June 29 at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Kindly omit flowers; the family suggests that donations be made to the nonprofits of your choice; Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org); and Jewish National Fund (shop.jnf.org/collections/plant-trees).
“Dr. Bob” was born on Nov. 14, 1951 to two loving parents, Harold (“Harry”) Levene and Thelma (“Toby”) Levene, in Overland Park, Kansas. He graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School in 1969 and attended the University of Kansas, receiving a B.A. in psychology (1973) and M.D. (1976). He was a lifelong Kansas City area resident, and he, Harry, Toby and his sister Elyse were members at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. Bob served as president of Jewish fraternity in AZA while in high school.
Bob was an internist, or family medicine practitioner, until he retired in 2018 and was passionate about healing and about easing the suffering for his patients throughout his 40-year career, which took him throughout the KC metro as well as surrounding communities. He spent the last two decades serving patients of St. Joseph, Missouri, at Heartland Health (formerly Med Clinic). His pursuit of cures and healing drove a multi-disciplinary drive for knowledge. Bob broadened his purview to combine traditional and alternative forms of medicine, including acupuncture, chiropractic and holistic medicine. One of his proudest accomplishments (beyond the countless families he helped along the way) was founding a holistic healing med spa with his colleagues in St. Joseph.
His thirst for knowledge began well before medicine, with great sci-fi novels from Asimov and Herbert, and grew to encompass all sorts of domains. A self-described Jew, he loved learning about different faiths and religions, exploring various theories of life. Over the course of his life, Bob accumulated over 20,000 books of all varieties that he displayed proudly in his home library.
Bob remained a die-hard KU Jayhawks fan until his final days and enjoyed following the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. In addition to being a voracious reader, Bob also enjoyed playing chess; luxury German cars; and a rare chocolate martini. In addition to his life in Kansas City, Bob also held a close fondness for California, where he and his family spent several years in his youth.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his sister, Elyse Levene; ex-wife, Theresa Febbo, and their sons and daughters-in-law Ian and Bailey Levene and Eric and Jenna Levene, all of Kansas City, Missouri; two grandchildren, Bodhi and Scarlett; and cousins, the Kaplan, Rankle and Shankman families.
Condolences may be shared at louismemorialchapel.com.