Upcoming Services
| Susan Rice |
Tue May 14th at 2:00 Graveside at Beth El Memorial Park | |
| Lois Pincus Cohn |
Mon May 13th at 3:00 IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL | |
| David N. Zacks |
Sun May 12th at 11:00 IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL |
FUNERAL DETAILS
Joseph "Joe" Levin
Joseph "Joe" Levin, 85, of Detroit, Michigan, died after sunset on 13 February 2024. The Funeral was held at IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL on Friday, 16 February 2024 at 12:00 PM . Rabbi Joshua Bennett officiated. Click  to watch a video of the recorded service.Interment at Clover Hill Park Cemetery.
The family of Joseph "Joe" Levin will be gathering through the evening of Friday, February 16 at the residence of Helene White, 1905 Balmoral Drive, Detroit MI 48203. Joseph Levin, attorney, real estate developer and tireless advocate for the redevelopment of his beloved downtown Detroit, died on February 13, 2024. He was 85. Mr. Levin was a long-time Detroit resident with his life partner, Diana McBroom. The cause of his death was complications from congestive heart failure. Joe Levin was born on March 18, 1938, in Detroit, the youngest of four children. Mr. Levin’s father, Theodore, was the chief judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. His mother, Rhoda (Katzin) Levin, was a homemaker. Mr. Levin studied government at Oberlin College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1959. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University in 1962. After graduation, he embarked on his own legal career, working for many years as a commercial litigator with the firm of Dice, Sweeney, Sullivan & Feikens. In addition to the practice of law, Mr. Levin spearheaded notable Detroit-based urban redevelopment efforts. As the managing partner for the Detroit Madison Center Limited Partnership, Mr. Levin helped secure a federal grant, and in conjunction with private investments he redeveloped a portion of the Hudson’s downtown Detroit warehouse complex into the 36th District Court. Through another public-private initiative, Mr. Levin renovated the former S.S. Kresge world headquarters in midtown Detroit – a 1927 building designed by acclaimed architect Albert Kahn – into the Metropolitan Center for High Technology business-technology incubator, in partnership with Wayne State University. Mr. Levin’s projects also took him outside Detroit. He built Huron Shores, a hotel and professional training center, now the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti Eagle Crest conference center. And as Soviet control of the Eastern Bloc ended in the 1990s, Mr. Levin worked in Prague as special counsel to U.S. Motors, an association of automobile distributors created to expand consumer access to Western-made vehicles in the growing economies of the former Eastern Europe. Mr. Levin grew up in a family steeped in politics and public service which shaped his passion for justice and democratic ideals throughout his life. As a young teen, he used his Bar Mitzvah gifts to print leaflets for the nascent presidential campaign of Adlai E. Stevenson, which he personally delivered door-to-door. As an adult, Mr. Levin regularly campaigned for and supported numerous Democratic political candidates. And he religiously subscribed to the Congressional Record, reading every issue in due course to keep abreast of new national legislation. He also served as a long-time board member of the Sigmund and Sophie Rohlik Foundation. Mr. Levin was preceded in death by his parents, Judge Theodore Levin and Rhoda Katzin Levin; his eldest brother, former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Charles L. Levin; and by his sister, Mimi Levin Lieber, an educator and former member of the New York State Board of Regents. He is survived by his beloved partner, Ms. McBroom; his brother, Daniel Levin (Fay Hartog Levin) a prominent real estate developer in Chicago; his former sister-in-law Judge Helene White. Mr. Levin is also survived by Ms. McBroom’s children, Jessica McBroom of Washington, D.C. and James McBroom of Detroit, and by numerous loving nieces and nephews, to whom he was a devoted uncle. Mr. Levin’s life was marked by an indomitable optimism, a tireless work ethic, a love for the American political process and a deep devotion to friends and family. He will be sorely missed. It is suggested that those who wish to further honor the memory of Joseph "Joe" Levin may do so by making a contribution to: Detroit Dog RescueClick to Visit Charity Website A charity of your choice |