ALBERT LEVY's Obituary
Our sweet, loving and affectionate father, Albert (Mickey) Levy sadly passed away at his Fremont home surrounded by his family February 2, 2018. Dad’s unwavering dedication to the good was evidenced by his family as an exceptional caring husband and father and too as a remarkable Pediatrician by his patients and staff at Kaiser Hayward from 1961 to 1994. There he often stepped far above normal medical duties working 60 plus hours a week caring for his patients. Every two months he worked a 100 hour week. Both staff and patients adored him for his persevering dedication, honest friendliness and care.Dad was born January 20th, 1929 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Zachary and Esther Levy–both Spanish Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Monastir, Macedonia. The youngest of four children, Dad grew up with two brothers and a sister. The brothers served in the European theatre during WW II. His father was trained as a Cobbler and owned a Men’s Clothing Store in Indianapolis, while his mother was a Homemaker. Dad grew up speaking Spanish Ladino as his first language in a Sephardic and African-American working class Indianapolis community and still enjoyed speaking Ladino with his parents, brothers and family in later life.Dad attended his first year of college at Indiana University, and then moved with his family to California where he completed his studies in Zoology at Cal Berkeley graduating with High Honors in 1950. He earned his MD degree from the University of Chicago School of Medicine in 1954.His family’s immigrant experience, mixed cultural upbringing, life long interest and dedication to learning, and his experience losing many relatives in the Holocaust helped shape Dad’s Humanitarian drive and Social Justice concerns. Dad’s Medical service also included employment as a Physician with the Indian Health Service on a Cherokee Indian Reservation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and too as a Physician at the Denver Jewish TB Hospital in the 1950s.Dad also remained politically and historically aware throughout his entire life. He was a great reader of political publications, historical books and fiction. Until several years ago, in his retirement, he continued to read over 200 books a year. He too was actively engaged early on with the Peace and Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s. Dad also worked the initial campaign that sent Don Edwards to Congress in 1963.Between his many hours of work, Dad still somehow was able to dedicate time to his wife and children. He loved sports and often actively played football, basketball, baseball and tennis with us, cooked dinners, lunches and breakfasts, held summer barbecues, gave us wonderful night time book readings, encouraged our interest in music with various records, coached and helped us with homework, took us on amazing excursions to the California Coast and Sierra Nevadas, and museum visits and walks in San Francisco, introduced us to corned beef on rye at Lefty O’Doul’s, drove us to many musical events, lectures, Friday night services at Temple Beth Torah, local plays and foreign films, took us to Dodger, Warrior and UCLA basketball games, and we all enjoyed many hikes along Coyote Hills, and swims at local pools.Poppa too was a great sports fan and since the 1947 signing of Jackie Robinson, passionately followed and rooted for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The boys in our family, Dan, Ben and Matt, often spent part of a summer night with Dad standing around his radio listening to the voice of Vin Scully waver in and out from Los Angeles. Dad watched all of the 2017 Dodger-Astros World Series. “The Bums,” he fondly called them since they always seemed to lose the important ones. Another great love was the University of Indiana Hoosiers basketball, followed by Butler. Several nights before he passed, Dad perked up and enjoyed watching an entire Butler basketball game. He read the sports page every day, until the day he passed.Already we miss Dad so much and will miss him forever. He was such a wonderful bedrock of goodness. We miss everything about him–his humble presence, loving kind smile, and touch. Married 66 years, he is survived by his wife Lulu Lee, who gave exceptional dedicated and loving care their entire marriage, and stepped far and beyond with her care this past decade as Dad’s health declined. Dad has three surviving children: Benjamin, Rebecca, and Matthew. The eldest, Daniel –a wonderful being, son and brother–passed in 2005. Dad, is survived also by his four grandchildren Andrew and Gabriela Levy, Laurel and Jacob Bard, nephews and nieces Ira, Zach, Nathan, Rebekah, and Elizabeth Levy.
What’s your fondest memory of ALBERT?
What’s a lesson you learned from ALBERT?
Share a story where ALBERT's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with ALBERT you’ll never forget.
How did ALBERT make you smile?