Laura Levendosky's Obituary
Laura Levendosky passed away peacefully in her home in San Diego on the evening of March 30 at the age of
98, surrounded by the songs and loving embrace of her family. Diagnosed with cancer just weeks before, she spent her last days under the constant care of her daughter Laurie, son Ric, daughter-in-law Cher, grandson Brett, and granddaughter-in-law Cathy, with the support of Light Bridge Hospice, and her extraordinary caregiver, Diana.
Laura is survived by two children – Ric (wife Cher), and Laurie; five grandchildren – Alytia (husband David), Brett (wife Cathy), Ixchel, Aram, and Yara (husband Julio); and eight great-grandchildren who knew her affectionately as “Nonna” (Italian for grandmother) – Sarah, Joshua, Jianna, Orion, Benjamin, Omar, Lucia, and Vera. She was preceded in death by her husband of41 years, Charles Levendosky, her eldest son Charles, and her great-grandchild Ismael.
Born in 1917 in New York City, Laura Gregorio was the only daughter of her Italian immigrant mother and Italian-American father. Although a world-traveler in her adult years, NYC always remained close to Laura’s heart, a place full of fond memories, despite the meager conditions in which she grew up, sharing a one bedroom apartment with her parents and three brothers, and her years surviving the Great Depression as a young wife and mother. Married at 18 in 1935 to a military man, Laura spent much of her young and middle adult years creating homes in diverse places, including Panama, Oklahoma, Germany, Japan, Hawaii, and finally California. Holding education as one of her highest ideals, Laura worked to put her three children through college, and finally had the opportunity to attend college herself, graduating with honors at age 52.
Laura deeply loved the arts and engaged in artistic pursuits and appreciation throughout her life. As a girl, she would practice the piano for hours whenever she had the chance. She learned sculpture and weaving, drawing and painting, and wrote Haiku poetry in her later years. Her home was filled with art, and her travels filled with art museums.
Following the death of her husband in 1976, Laura traveled the world, going such places as India, France, New
Zealand, Kenya, and Australia. Some of her best-loved stories came from her first trip to Italy when, without knowing more than a few words of Italian, she sought out her relatives in the mountain towns of Italy, traveling by bus, knowing only the family surnames, and reconnected with her family there with whom she remained in touch through the remainder of her life. After that first visit to Italy, Laura took it upon herself to learn Italian, and she subsequently made many trips back to Italy, staying connected with her ancestral homeland.
A long, rich and textured life. Her legacy carries forward with her descendants within whom her values of education, the arts, love and caring for humanity are deeply embedded. Laura will be profoundly missed, but family is comforted in the knowledge that she was ready to transition, was happy with her full life, and had the chance to say her goodbyes.
Services will be held in honor of Laura at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church, 4124 Mt. Abraham, San
Diego, CA 92111, on Friday, April 8. There will be a viewing from 9:30-10:30, mass from I I-noon, followed by a reception from noon to I :30. Laura will be interred at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. Those who wish
to share thoughts and memories are encouraged to do so at the reception. The family asks that donations honoring Laura’s life be made to Special Olympics.
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