Obituary of Gerald Levey

Gerald Levey, USN Commander (Ret) and artist died on August 8th, 2018. He left behind his beloved wife Zenona, his son Bryan Levey (Wife Louise), his son Rick Levey, (Wife Cathie), four grandchildren, Aaron, David, Kaya, Aliza, his sister Roberta, two stepdaughters, Gosia and Agnieszka, and four step-grandchildren, Alina, Devin, Neysa, and Anell. He was loved and is missed by all of them.  Gerald was a resident of New London, CT for 55 years and was known by many. They called him Jerry. Jerry was always ready to help people and serve them any way he could. He volunteered as a paramedic for Backus Hospital and Lawrence Memorial Hospital.  As a last commanding officer of the US Submarine Sablefish, he was the keynote speaker in all four reunions of that ship. He cherished his naval colleagues. He loved and served his country his whole life. We all hold him in our memories as a great honorable man with an open heart for everyone. He was a true officer and a gentleman. Gerald Levey was a nationally recognized marine artist whose work is known for its salty ambiance and authenticity. Levey’s spirited seascapes and ship portraits were based on his long professional life at sea as a career naval officer.  He joined the Navy on his 17^th birthday and served in Pacific Fleet ships as an enlisted man for four years before winning an appointment to the Midshipman program at Columbia. Upon graduation and commissioning, he volunteered for submarine duty, served on both diesel and nuclear submarines and rose to command of USS Sablefish, a diesel attack submarine.  After his retirement from the Navy, he continued to work closely with nuclear submarines and their crews to develop search and attack tactics. He received the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award for leading the tactical development for 688 Class nuclear attack submarines.  As a high school art student in Brooklyn, N.Y. Levey roamed the city’s waterfront, sketching and absorbing the atmosphere.  He was a recognized expert in both naval and commercial vessels. His paintings of the final years of the great New York port are particularly vivid.  He was a frequent exhibitor at the Maritime Gallery at the Mystic Seaport where he was awarded the prestigious Rudolph Schaefer prize at the 1985 Mystic International show and the Mystic Seaport Purchase Award for the 1991 international exhibit.   He was an Artist Member and a past officer for the American Society of Marine Artists and has been designated as a Nany and Coast Guard artist. He is listed in the Dictionary of Sea Painters, and in the Bound for Blue Water.  Several hundred of Levey’s paintings hang in the wardrooms of naval vessels, in the cooperate offices of the seagoing community, and in the homes of collectors who value his paintings for their authenticity and style.  Levey’s paintings have appeared in the Naval History magazine, the Journal of the Steamship Society of America, Towline, the Moran Towing Company magazine, and the Log of the Mystic Seaport magazine.  His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Mystic Seaport Museum, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, the Coast Guard Academy, the Submarine Memorial Museum, the Mariners Museum on Newport News, Virginia, the U.S. Naval Academy Museum at Annapolis, and the Charlestown Navy Yard Museum in the Boston National Historic Park. Funeral services were privately held by the family. Memorial contributions in Jerry’s name may be made to the Fisher House Foundation Inc., 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 410, Rockville, MD 20852. To share a memory of Jerry or send a condolence to his family please visit www.rwwfh.com Arrangements by the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral in Centerbrook.