Sheldon Levin died on June 22, 2015, following a five-year battle with melanoma. He was 72.
Sheldon was born in Chicago in 1942. He attended the University of Illinois and received a Master’s Degree in nuclear engineering. He met his wife, Nancy, at the university and they married two days after their graduation. They had just celebrated their 49th anniversary on June 19.
Sheldon and Nancy moved to Washington in 1966. Sheldon worked in Boeing’s space program in Kent, WA, but then spent most of his career working as an engineer at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, specializing in underwater acoustics and ship silencing.
Sheldon was an activist in the Kitsap County community. He served as the president of the Kitsap County American Civil Liberties Union and was a Board member of the Washington State ACLU for many years. He led battles to fight against censorship in the schools, to support the separation of church and state, and to guard against overreach and abuses by the government and the police. He was a vocal advocate for quality education and the public school system and fought to preserve green spaces in South Kitsap. Many members of Sheldon’s family were victims of the horrors of World War 2. He had great pride in his Jewish heritage and a passion for the State of Israel.
Following his retirement, Sheldon traveled the world, spent time at the family cabin, and cherished his time with his family. He became an accomplished glass artist and was an active charter docent and educator at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
Sheldon is survived by his wife Nancy Levin of Port Orchard and his three sons and their families including three young grandsons: David Levin and Naoko Watanabe of Seattle; Alex Levin, Shenyi Levin and Orion Levin of Tacoma; and Elliot Levin, Amanda Cort, Solomon Cort-Levin, and Ezra Cort-Levin of Portland. He is also survived by his sister Rosalyn Chasin of Wilmington, Delaware and her family.
Traditional Jewish funeral services and burial were held on June 25, 2015 in Seattle. A public memorial service for Sheldon will be held at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma on Thursday, July 23, from 5:30 to 7:00. Click here for more information and directions.
In lieu of flowers, we know that Sheldon would be pleased to know that you had visited the Museum of Glass and made a donation to support the museum.