Leonard Louis Levy passed away on April 28, 2009 at the age of 86. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on June 3, 1922 to Joseph and Ida Levy. Having grown up in the Elm City during the Great Depression, he chose to spend the rest of his life devoted to bettering his hometown and helping the people in it. He retired five years ago, but he spent most of his life as that guy everyone knew on the street and in every office building. In fact, the night he died, the police officer on duty at St. Raphael’s Hospital recognized him; he was one of his clients. That’s what comes from a life spent involved in politics and countless organizations, while always having the same law office for decades overlooking the New Haven Green.
After attending Worthington Hooker and Troup schools, he then had a full scholarship to Hopkins Grammar School and Yale University, earning his B.A. in English in 1944. An ROTC student, he was soon shipped off to the Pacific in World War II; he served as a First Lieutenant in the Army Infantry and was stationed in Hawaii, the Philippines, and Japan. After his return, he earned his law degree from Yale Law School in 1948, and soon worked as an associate with leading local attorneys like Herman Levy and Philip Mancini, before opening his own law practice.
At the age of 29, he ran for New Haven’s senate seat in the Connecticut State House. He was elected as the youngest member of that legislative body, serving from 1952 to 1954, and in 1962, he was the Republican candidate for Attorney General. In the 1960s and ’70s, he immersed himself in public service, playing a leading role in local chapters of the March of Dimes, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the United Jewish Appeal, and the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. He also founded the New Haven chapter of the Puerto Rican Civic League during these years. In the 1980s and ’90s, he chaired the New Haven Historic District Commission and the Institute Library board, served as president of the St. Ronan-Edgehill Association, and was the commissioner of the Connecticut Boxing Promotion Commission. He practiced law for more than half a century, serving the diverse communities in and around New Haven. He had a general law practice in the old style, serving a variety of needs for whoever came in through his door. He had many high-profile cases, but also enjoyed helping generations of families with their legal issues. He also prided himself on being an advocate for his Spanish-speaking clients, who constituted a substantial part of his practice. He represented various churches in Greater New Haven, including the Saint Matthew’s Unified Free Will Baptist Church, who presented him with a Man of the Year award. His greatest pride as a lawyer, though, was when his daughter Elizabeth joined his practice after he had spent decades on his own. Eternally inquisitive, he was always reading, writing, teaching himself and others, and such eager engagement with the world around him kept him youthfully vigorous all his life. A member of the Hopkins and Yale swim teams, he also stayed vigorous by maintaining his athletic regimen of swimming, kayaking, and weightlifting. A fundamental part of his explorations included travel across five continents, from Nova Scotia to Mexico to Peru, and from Morocco to Iceland to Israel. He is survived by his wife, Donna, whom he married in 1965; his daughter, Elizabeth Elena Levy Toole, and her husband James Gray Toole, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; his son, Matthew Reed Baker, and his wife Clair Pagnano, of Somerville, Massachusetts; his granddaughters Phoebe and Marissa Toole, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and longtime family friend and legal administrator, Jo Ann Callegari, of West Haven, Connecticut. He was predeceased by his sister, Elaine Levy Sloane, of Branford, Connecticut, and is survived by his sister, Lois Levy Spivack, of Woodbridge, Connecticut. His funeral took place May 1 at Shure Funeral Home on George Street and was attended by lifelong friends, family, clients, and employees. A larger memorial is being planned for the summer, time and place to be determined.
I was so very fortunate to have had Leonard Levy in my life for the past 45 years. He was my motivator, my guiding light, and my best friend. I will truly miss him, as will all with whom he befriended. "Stella" to you, Leonard, and thanks for many "Carpe Diems". JO