Dr. Simon A. Levit was born on March 12, 1937 and passed away on April 22, 2012. He grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was a graduate of the historic Central High School. He earned his undergraduate degree from Trinity College, Hartford, CT and completed his medical school studies at Chicago Medical School in 1963. He completed his medical internship at Philadelphia General Hospital in 1964, before going on to serve as a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1964 to 1966. Dr. Levit did his medical residency at the Mayo Clinic in the field of Internal Medicine, in Rochester, MN and became a senior resident in 1968. In addition to being a medical internist, Dr. Levit went on to specialize in cardiology. He did his specialist training in this field at Ohio State University.

From 1970 forward, he was in private practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma at St. John Hospital where he worked tirelessly. He believed strongly in the relationship between a doctor and his patients and took active, daily care of the thousands of patients who were near and dear to him. He also served as a medical instructor for the medical students at the University of Oklahoma and provided pro bono services at free medical clinics in Tulsa. At St. John, Dr. Levit took a special interest in supporting nursing education and created an endowment at St. John Hospital to support additional course work for nurses who were trying to improve their careers and their lives. He was Chairman of the St. John Physician endowment and raised funds intensively for that cause.

Dr. Levit was a passionate supporter of the arts, education and sports. He won the Governor's Art Prize with his wife Rita, for his contributions to several arts institutions throughout Oklahoma and for his personal nurturing of the many artists he supported and befriended. In particular, he was an avid supporter of arts education for children in Tulsa Public Schools and created an annual awards competition to recognize artistic excellence among young kids. He recently launched a similar award fund for children in Tulsa Public Schools who excelled in music. He loved baseball, attended many world series games, and loved bringing great baseball legends to Tulsa for an annual baseball dinner that supported a good cause such as the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Dr. Levit is survived by his wife, Rita; son and daughter-in-law Ken and Janet Levit in Tulsa; daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Ben Cowan in Houston; along with grandchildren Nathan Levit, Rebecca Levit, Eli Cowan and Abby Cowan. Dr. Levit was also especially close to his nephews, Steve, Mark and Howard Schoenfield, and their families.

Dr. Levit's funeral will take place at noon on Tuesday at the Synagogue, the corner of 17th and Peoria.

The Synagogue service will be followed by a burial at Rose Hill Cemetery at the corner of Admiral and Yale. The procession to the cemetery will leave directly from the Synagogue.
Those wishing to honor Dr. Levit's memory may make a contribution to the Tulsa Public Schools' Arts Excellence Fund at Tulsa Community Foundation or a charitable organization of their choice.

FITZGERALD IVY CHAPEL 918-585-1151