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A Tribute to Shirley Levin, My Mother

By Charles Levin
March 14, 2006

Shirley Levin had an abundance of talent who would light up a room with her humor and warmth. People truly loved to be around  her.  For much of her life she performed on the stage achieving numerous accolades .  Her performing career was highlighted when she replaced Carol Channing as the star of the Broadway production of Lend an Ear in the late 1940s.  Despite rave reviews from  New York City critics she left the spotlight to raise a family with her husband Alex in Erie, PA.  where she continued to do theater.  She also taught public speaking courses at Gannon University in Erie and served as the head of its Speech and Drama Department for many years.

She and her husband Alex moved to San Diego in 1974.  When he  began the formation of a Humanistic Judaism congregation in San Diego in the early 1980s, Shirley lent her considerable skills to the effort.  They hosted the first meetings of the congregation in their living room in 1983.  After Alex died in 1987, she continued to work tirelessly promoting the many interests of the congregation right up until her death in 2002.  The congregation grew significantly during this period. Shirley deserves a great deal of credit for assisting in this growth.

Levin resides in Wayland, Massachusetts