Joseph (“Joe”) Levy, born on Oct. 21, 1930, in Trier, Germany, passed away peacefully on Aug. 3, with loving family nearby.
Joe is survived by son, Michael Levy; four grandchildren, Monica Levy, Michaella Rekowski (Kevin), Marjorie Hunt (Jacob) and Matthew Levy (Megan); three step-grandchildren, Ryan Breitenbach, Trevor Breitenbach and Katie Breitenbach; five great-grandchildren (Evelyn, Aubrey, Addison, Victoria and Gabriel) and numerous other friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara (“Bobbie”) Levy; his parents, Leopold and Martha Levy; and brother, Warner Levy.
Joe was a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the United States during a tumultuous time when he was 7 years old. He was later raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He joined the U.S. Army in 1952 and was assigned to the Pentagon. He later became a member of the Jewish War Veterans.
He was a devoted husband to Bobbie for 63 years. He picked his sweetheart from a yearbook and never looked back. They shared many great memories including traveling to Sint Maarten in the Caribbean with her sister and husband.
He was a founding member of Congregation Beth Torah. His faith was his guiding light and the foundation of his life.
Joe had many interests, including cheering for the Chiefs from section 101 at Arrowhead Stadium; yelling at the Royals from the comfort of his living room; coordinating and attending ROMEO lunches for decades; and reading the daily newspaper while completing the jumble word game. Other hobbies included warning his grandchildren of the “whooping tack rack” and telling fish stories after the many fishing trips on his boat, “Bobbie B”.
His smirk that indicated an ornery comment was coming and the genuine giggle to generally follow will be missed.
Funeral services were held at Beth Torah on Aug. 5, followed by an interment service at Mt. Carmel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Jewish War Veterans (jwv.org) or to the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund at Congregation Beth Torah.