Richard W. Levinson, JANUARY 2, 1931 – DECEMBER 1, 2023
Richard “Dick” Levinson passed away peacefully at his Southern California home on the night of December 1, just a month shy of his 93rd birthday, surrounded by his family.
Beloved husband of 70 years to Horty Levinson; dear father and father-in-law of Ron Levinson, Steve Levinson, Nancy Kolons (Norm), and Jeff Levinson (Wayne Danner); dear grandfather of Brian Levinson (Samantha), Amanda Wang (Chris), Rob Levinson (Becky), Lu Levinson, Joe Levinson, Ben Levinson (Ashley), David Levinson (Monica Garcia), Brett Kolons (Abbi), and Blake Kolons; dear great-grandfather of Jacob, Sho, Ayelet, Korbin, Dimitri, Leisel, Maya, Lilah, Jack, and Evie; dear son of the late Joseph and the late Alma Levinson; dear brother and brother-in-law of the late William Levinson (the late Ellen); dear uncle, cousin, and friend to many.
Dick’s father, Joseph, emigrated from Poland (then Russia) in 1903 at the age of three, and along with Joe’s mother, settled in St. Louis with Joe’s father, Ike, who came over three years earlier. Like his mother, Alma, Dick was born in St. Louis. He attended Delmar Harvard Elementary School, Ward Jr. High, and University City High School, where he played baseball, wrestled, and ran track. His hobbies included photography, amateur “ham” radio, sports, and scouting. He achieved the high rank of Eagle Scout with palms.
Dick had a passion for musicals, show tunes, and sports. He shared this love in St. Louis with his family, with season tickets to the Muny Opera, baseball and football Cardinals, and the Blues Hockey Club. This continued in California where he and Horty enjoyed season tickets to their local community theatre with their newfound friends.
Dick developed a strong work ethic from his dad. His teen years were spent bagging groceries at Shenberg’s and ushering Cardinals and Browns baseball games at Sportsman’s Park, which provided him access to collect the autographs of almost every ballplayer in the major leagues. “They actually paid me to watch Stan Musical, Dizzy Dean, and Enos Slaughter!” he enthusiastically shared. Later on, he’d have the honor of meeting Stan the Man at his restaurant, and playing poker with Jack Buck.
Dick graduated Washington University in January of 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a few months later he married Horty. After honeymooning in Miami and Havana, he joined his father and older brother Bill selling men’s clothing at Levinson’s Men’s Shop, set up by his father in anticipation of the boys eventually taking it over. Dick and Bill were not only brothers, they were best friends, so it was no surprise when these “partners in crime” craved something they considered more exciting than selling men’s pants. They decided it would be fun to be private eyes.
They founded a detective agency called “Shane and Associates,” initially splitting their time between the men’s store and solving cases. The truth is there was no “Shane” and there were no other “associates.” This was just the first of many smart business decisions, to choose a captivating name that projected confidence and fostered the perception they were larger and more established than the two-man startup they actually were. Such business acumen resulted in their growing Shane into the largest full-service security firm in the Midwest, offering security guards, investigators, mobile patrol, polygraphers, and a subsidiary alarm division. Shane was eventually acquired by Wells Fargo, but he and Bill stayed on to manage the St. Louis office until they bought Hervic, Inc., an international camera and photographic accessories business based in Southern California.
Soon after, Hervic’s flagship product was selected as the official camera bag of the 1984 Summer Olympics. This required relocating to California to focus on growing the newly acquired business. Dick and Horty soon found community and lasting friendships by joining one of the local synagogues, Temple Beth Ami, where Dick volunteered as newsletter editor and bookkeeper for many years. Later, they became one of the founding families of a small, warm, and loving reform congregation called Temple Beth Chaverim, which they continued to generously support through the years.
Dick had a knack for electronics and could fix almost anything. Early on, his basement workshop was packed with shelves of vacuum tubes, just in case a friend would call to report that his TV was on the fritz. No matter the time or what he was doing, he would never say no. Like a doctor making house calls, he grabbed his oversized tool bag and hopped into his huge Olds convertible – more often than not with his two young sons in tow – lowered the top and zipped off to save the day. Helping his family and friends was one of Dick’s true joys in life.
Dick loved spending time in Las Vegas and made frequent trips there, sometimes with Horty and the kids, other times with brother Bill – but whoever he was with, he’d approach it like he did everything else in his life, with a fast gait, huge smile, and a boatload of chutzpa. Show seats were always front row, which provided a ringside view of top Vegas performers.
When friends came to visit in L.A., he’d take great joy in providing them with the greatest VIP tour imaginable. These weren’t just outings to the typical tourist sites; a Dick Levinson Hollywood tour often included crashing the gates of the movie studios and introducing his guests to the stars on the sets of their favorite shows. “Just follow me and look like you belong here,” he’d advise with a wide, confident smile as he swung open the heavy soundstage door that read “Closed Set. Authorized Personnel Only.”
As much as he relished the Vegas glamour and Hollywood glitz, it was Dick’s abundant love for his family that transcended everything. He and Horty also shared a deep connection with dogs, particularly the many family pets over the years. When the kids were young, Tuesday night dinners would be at the Strauss’s (Horty’s parents) home, Thursday nights were at Joe and Alma’s, and on Saturdays, both sides would get together at Dick and Horty’s. Famous for his Donald Duck impersonations, he was known as “Grandpa Quack” to his grandkids, and he loved each of them dearly, just as he loved his ten great-grandchildren. To Dick, family meant everything.
Dick will be terribly missed for his kindness, generosity, sense of humor and unconditional deep love for his friends and family.
Graveside service Wednesday, December 20, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Chevra Kadisha Cemetery, 1601 North and South Rd, 63130. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for more information.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that tributes be sent to the Alma and Joseph Levinson Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund (Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College), or the charity of your choice. If making a donation online, select ‘other’ and type in ‘Levinson Fund’. BERGER MEMORIAL SERVICE
