Jeweler always had time for his family
When Irving Levenson returned from World War II, he already knew the woman he met on a blind date while on leave -- and married before shipping out -- had little interest in relocating to Washington, D.C.
"My mother wanted to stay here and be near family and friends," said Mr. Levenson's daughter, Donna Wolfson. "So to please the woman he loved, he stayed in Pittsburgh and got involved in his family jewelry business and worked his way up."
Mr. Levenson, of Squirrel Hill, died Monday, May 17, 2004. He was 84.
Mr. Levenson's career in the wholesale jewelry business spanned 40 years, and he became president of S. Levenson Co. in the Clark Building, Downtown.
"My Dad got into the business during the boom time after the war," Wolfson said. "As wholesalers, they really got to know every mom and pop jewelry store in the area."
Mr. Levenson was a 1936 graduate of Fifth Avenue High School in the Hill District, where he was a classmate of former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff. He also attended classes at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and took a job there as a statistician for the U.S. Census Bureau.
Mr. Levenson served in the Army in Germany and France and attained the rank of captain. He was judge advocate and past commander of Post 49 of the Jewish War Veterans.
Wolfson described her father as the "poster boy" for modern fatherhood, often tending to the children at a time when it was uncommon for fathers to get so involved in their children's activities.
"He was very, very devoted to his family. My mother taught us at a very early age that when Dad came home, he was the one we should go to if we needed anything. He really enjoyed doing things for us, and with us."
Wolfson said her father was strict about spending Saturdays with her and her sister, and Sunday was reserved as "family day."
"My father always tried to make Saturday special for us, so he would take us to the zoo, to the park or to Forbes Field to watch the Pirates play. No matter how busy he was, he always found the time to make sure we had fun."
Mr. Levenson also enjoyed taking the family on road trips during the summer.
"We made four cross-country trips by the time I was seven," Wolfson said. "And we had visited all 48 contiguous states before I graduated high school."
For more than 50 years, Mr. Levenson was an active member of the Tree of Life Congregation on Wilkins Avenue in Squirrel Hill, where he was a founding member of the Morning Minyanaires prayer group.
"He really lived life to the fullest," Wolfson said. "And everybody knew him as someone with a great sense of humor."
Mr. Levenson is survived by his wife of 60 years, Shirley Friedman Levenson; two daughters, Donna Wolfson, of Monroeville, and Joyce Offerman, of Point Breeze; a sister, Edith Arnheim, of Pittsburgh; four grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Friends will be received from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Ralph Schugar Chapel, 5509 Centre Ave., Shadyside. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Interment will be in the Star of David section of the Homewood Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Morning Minyanaires of Tree of Life Congregation, 5898 Wilkins Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217; the Jewish National Fund, 5915 Beacon St., Pittsburgh, PA 15217; or a charity of the donor's choice.
