Phyllis Sylvia Levinson: February 11, 1941 – January 26, 2025
I wanted to write a tribute to her to commemorate her life as a mother, grandmother, wife, artist, friend, and so much more.
While I was not particularly close with my grandmother growing up, I have fond memories of times spent with her, and it was always a comfort knowing that she was just a phone call away in New Orleans. As I got older, we formed a stronger bond, chatting periodically and sharing stories about our lives. She was a strong supporter of my Peace Corps service and always followed along with my weekly newsletters.
I know I can't possibly capture all the nuance of the life that my grandmother lived in a short tribute, but I wanted to find a way to keep her memory alive.
Thank you to my mom, Tracy, for collaborating on this tribute with me. Thank you to Abbi for secretly recording our grandmother's stories during her trip to New Orleans in December. Thank you to my dad, Gary, for finding and scanning the photos that I used in this tribute.
Phyllis Sylvia Levinson (Z"L) February 11, 1941 – January 26, 2025
Phyllis Sylvia Levinson (Z”L) (Mom, Nana, Fishu, Phyl) was an artist, an animal lover, and a loyal friend, among many other things. She died peacefully early in the morning on January 26, 2025, just a few weeks before her 84th birthday.
Phyllis was born on February 11, 1941, in Reading, Pennsylvania to Paul and Ida Gruenstein, a manager of shoe factories and a violinist. While her parents traveled from place to place for her father’s work, she spent much of her childhood living with her grandmother “granny” Annie in Reading, PA behind the hat shop that her grandmother owned and operated.
Phyllis spoke fondly of her memories of Reading and her free-range childhood where she would run around town getting herself into trouble. She loved to tell the story of how she was once given money from her grandmother to buy herself a little someting, and with that money she went to the five and dime store and bought herself a couple of Easter chickens, which she named Petie and Susie. Her grandmother was furious and told her to return the chickens, which she did, and she instead came back with a duck. Even as a little girl, she was extremely creative and imaginative.
Phyllis went to Allentown High School where she met the art teacher who encouraged her to pursue a career as an artist. After high school, she went on to study art at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art, where she was trained as an illustrator.
In 1959, when Phyllis was 18, she met Louis (Lou) Levinson (Z”L), a medical student at Jefferson Medical School. They got married while she was still a student, and the following year, they had their first child, Tracy. Phyllis carried Tracy around to her classes during her last year of school, and, despite the slight change of plans, she still managed to graduate with her degree in fine art—the first in her family to earn a college degree.
In 1963, when Lou was drafted into the armed services, the family was stationed in Germany. While Lou was busy living the life of a soldier, Phyllis mostly lived on her own, among the locals in Schwäbisch Hall, a rural village outside of Stuttgart, and later on the U.S. army base near Zweibrucken, just outside of Munich. While living in Germany, she gave birth to her second daughter, Dara.
After a couple of years in Germany, the family was re-stationed in San Antonio, TX, where Lou began his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Phyllis loved being in San Antonio and had several friends whom she enjoyed spending her time with—one of which she practically gave her house to (she sold it well below market value) in an act of charity and perhaps rebellion.
After that came two years in Aberdeen, Maryland where Lou finished his military career. He decided to look for a private practice, and after seriously considering San Diego where his parents lived, decided on moving the family to New Orleans.
In 1971, the family moved to New Orleans, where Phyllis lived until she passed. Phyllis found a vibrant community for herself in New Orleans. She was involved in local politics, helping to run PR campaigns for local politicians. She participated in New Orleans’ social life, attending Mardi Gras balls, once boldly trying to desegregate an all-white carnival club by inviting her Black friend to come with her to their annual ball. And she was an avid enthusiast of the arts, volunteer-ushering at various theaters and frequenting local museums and cultural institutions. Her eccentricity matched the vibrant energy of New Orleans perfectly.
Phyllis loved to bake. Almost every batch of cookies she made would come out either underbaked or burnt, but she would always salvage the edible ones to give to her friends and eat the ones that no one else could eat.
She loved animals. At the end of her life, she was taking care of Fidget and Baby (her two little dogs), Cozy (her indoor cat), Mama Cass Elliot and her 4 grown babies (outdoor cats) as well as a litany of other critters: racoons, opossums, and a few squirrels and rats. From the day they moved into their home in New Orleans, the house was always full of four-legged furry friends.
Phyllis was a talented artist. It was a rare sight to encounter Phyllis without a sketchbook and pen in her hands, whether at her home or out in public. She was a night owl and would often draw and paint at night. Her parents Paul and Ida would travel around to art shows, selling her work and sharing the proceeds with her. She did some commercial work as an artist, painted store windows at holidays and taught art lessons in the converted garage, which became her studio. She especially loved painting musicians and would often go down to the French Quarter or other live music venues around New Orleans and paint the musicians playing, capturing their movements and energy, almost as if the music was flowing off the page as she was drawing.
Another side of Phyllis was that she was an avid day trader. For several decades, she made her income by watching the financial channels all night, then placing puts and calls. Her consistency in investing and her interest in innovative companies helped her to maintain herself to the end.
Phyllis was not fond of organized religion. She was, however, a very Jewish person in her actions and the way she lived her life. Every morning, she said her own version of Modeh Ani (a prayer thanking God for being alive) and she espoused Hillel’s summation of Judaism—pretty much do unto others, or, just be a decent human being.
Phyllis lived a long and fulfilling life. While not without its challenges, she lived the way she wanted to, and she remained fiercely independent until her last day.
Her legacy—love for art and music along with her passion for taking care of people and animals—will be kept alive through her loving family: Tracy and Dara and their husbands Gary and Andy, her grandchildren, Natalie, Abbi, Ilana, Ellie, Asher, and Jude, and her great grandchildren, Zoe and Matt.
May her memory always be for a blessinng.
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