Leon "Lee" Levine

IN MEMORY OF

LEON LUDWIG LEVINE

May 2, 1925 - March 23, 2018

In May of 1925, Leon was born to a father, Max, who immigrated to Canada from Poland and a mother, Minnie, whose family settled in several European countries before moving to Canada.  Each immigrated to the United States, met, married and gave birth to Lee in Chicago.

While his mother had many family members nearby, his father was the only one of his family to reside in the U.S.  Family get-togethers were held often.  But, a bit one sided.

As World War II began and became more intense, Lee joined the U.S. Navy and became a Marine Corps medic after graduating high school.  He served in battlefields of the South Pacific including the horrific fight with the Japanese on Iwo Jima.

After the war, he returned to Chicago and married his first wife, Lillian, whom he met in high school.  He began working as a window washer.  Sometime in the early 1940’s, he moved with his father, mother and wife to California where his son, Gerry, was born.  About two years after the birth, he and his wife divorced.  He began working for an aircraft manufacturer and a few years later met and married his second wife, Bonnie.  Not long after they married, he took schooling to become a watchmaker.  They were then blessed with their daughter, Lisa.

Having graduated Watchmaking School, Lee opened a watch repair shop in Inglewood, Ca.  He had considerable success in this endeavor.  But, the business did not grow to meet his goals and, after several years, he went to work for a very successful family jeweler in Santa Monica, called “Bubar’s Jewelers,” as their watchmaker.  Within a couple of years, Lee became the manager of the store and began to explore the path that led him to his passion for fine jewelry.  In the early 1970’s he opened his own store in Northridge, Ca.  This lasted till the Northridge earthquake in 1994.

While operating his store, he divorced Bonnie, met and then married his third wife, Joann.  She brought with her two daughters, Jodie and Stefanie, as well as two sons, Steven and Mark.

Lee and Joann now rest side-by-side.

His interests included building model airplanes, photography, racing sports cars, gem cutting and, later, having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and breakfast at Ihop.

...Family in the care of Erin Arteaga, Funeral Director