JUDITH M. LEVY KRISTI SHIPNES MARTIN
1925-2018
Judith M. Levy rejoined her husband of 71 years, Irwin L. Levy, on November 25, 2018, passing away after an illness of several months. She was born on January 9, 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri, where her father and his brothers owned a successful chain of grocery stores. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her parents, Freda and David Milgram.
Judy attended Kansas City public schools, and college in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Upon their marriage in June of 1947, she and her husband settled in Texas. After a period spent in Abilene and Hamlin, they moved permanently to his native city of Houston. Although she always joked that she felt a little “foreign” in Texas, she loved Houston, and said she could never live anywhere else.
Before any other interests in her life came her love for her husband, her daughter Gail, and her parents, all of whom she always put before herself. Although her daughter has lived all of her adult life far from Houston, their attachment was such that they talked multiple times a day, every day, and this was a vitally important part of both their lives, even during the many years that Gail and her husband lived abroad.
Judy was also deeply caring for and attentive to others close to her. She looked after her aunts later in their lives as she did her parents. And she always treated her inlaws and her husband’s other family members with much love and respect.
Judy was an active lifelong member of the Church of Christ, Scientist. She enjoyed golf, and later tennis, and she and her family belonged for many years to the Houston Racquet Club, where they made many close friends. She was active in the St. Luke’s Foundation Friends of Nursing and, together with her husband, was a longtime member of the Texas Heart Institute’s Cooley Circle. She also taught reading to English language-learners as a volunteer.
Judy studied classical piano for many years, and regretted that, despite many attempts, she never learned how to improvise. She took and enjoyed many art classes, and occasionally showed her oil paintings in exhibits at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. She loved all animals, and especially dogs.
While she had many hobbies, she enjoyed nothing so much as spending time with her friends, who were very dear to her. Everyone appreciated her unique sense of humor, which was exceedingly dry, but never unkind. As a friend, she was loyal, attentive, and discrete, and her presence and affection were reassuring to her friends in difficult times. From her idyllic childhood in Kansas City, she brought to others a unique combination of the innocence of an earlier time and an impressive ability to understand people and their feelings.
Extremely proud of her husband’s accomplishments, Judy preferred to play a less visible role in the community. But within her small family, she was the force that made everything possible. Her essential light always burned brightly, sustaining everyone with her warmth, her optimism, her faith, and her love.
A gathering to honor both Judy and Irwin will be held in Houston in January, in consideration of the holidays and the availability of several family members who live out of town. Friends wishing to reach the family before then may contact their daughter and son-in-law, Gail and Jean-Pierre Lavielle, 109 Hickory Hill, Wilton, CT 06897; phone - 203 762 7373. The family greatly appreciated the kind thoughts and prayers conveyed by those who remembered Irwin during the last few months.