Joyce Minette Savage Levi

Born in Birmingham, Alabama on June 16, 1928, Joyce was the daughter of William Hulsey Savage and Violet Griffin Savage. She was graduated in speech and dramatics from the University of Montevallo, where she was active in theatre, served as editor of the college newspaper, and named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

She was a professional Equity actress in her 20s, and enjoyed performing in summer and winter stock, two national road tours, and off-Broadway. Returning to Birmingham, she worked in radio as a disc jockey and talk show hostess, and acted with Town and Gown and the Shakespearean Repertory Theatre, both community theatres.

On December 7, 1957, she married Winfield Roe Levi of Cincinnati, Ohio, national sales manager of Broadcasting Magazine, and moved to New York City. There she wrote and recorded for a national radio syndicate, and raised two sons, Jeffrey Winfield Levi (1959) and Jonathan Wayne Levi (1962). She was a Cub Scout den mother for eight years and volunteered at the United Nations and Recording for the Blind. She later worked at Federation of Jewish Philanthropies as Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director for Community Services until retiring to Vero Beach in late 1983.

For 45 years, she and Win [perfect for each other!!!] celebrated their marriage. They became Unitarians in 1962, and attended both Community Church and All Souls Church in New York, where they were active members.

In Vero Beach, Joyce worked on publicity briefly at Riverside Theatre, performing there with the Vero Beach Theatre Guild and later at Encore Alley. When the Guild moved to San Juan Avenue, she served as Guild public relations chairman for the next 15 years. She sang with Guild on the Go, edited the newsletter and playbills, created brochures, directed several shows and appeared in a number of them, and in recent years served as a Genie Award Judge. She received the Guild’s Jacobus-Siebert-Hazen Award, Life Member Award, Steve Stahl President’s Choice Award, Wall of Hands Award, nine backstage awards, and won two Genies for Best Actress. She was passionate about the Guild and the importance of the arts in a community. She loved Vero Beach and the fact that it’s been called one of the 100 best arts towns in the country.

Joyce was nationally accredited in public relations and was a member of the Florida Public Relations Association, serving on the Treasure Coast Chapter board, and writing and editing their newsletter for a time. She belongs to the American Association of University Women, served on its board and various committees, and was co-president 2004-2006.

She was a member of the Cultural Council of Indian River County, League of Women Voters, Indian River County Historical Society, McKee Botanical Gardens and Planned Parenthood. She called herself an “appreciating member” of the Vero Beach Opera, Museum of Art, Ballet Vero Beach, and Riverside Theatre, and helped support a number of environmental groups. She served five years on the United Way Communications Committee and did voice-overs for their annual videos.

She also did gratis voice work for other nonprofit organizations like the Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation, whose video won a silver award from the Florida Chapter of International Television and Video Association, and for “Cracker Tales.”

She served on the board of the original Arts Council, and later worked with the group which emerged out of it, the Cultural Council of Indian River County. She sat on its Cultural Advisory Committee for several years, and subsequently was on the Council’s board and executive committee. In 2005, she was recognized for her volunteer efforts with the prestigious Laurel Award for Volunteerism.

At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Joyce handled public relations and wrote the newsletter for several years, as well as editing The Breeze, the newsletter for Florida’s UU Northeast Cluster. She served on many committees, including Public Programs Committee for the Emerson Center, sang in the choir, and did numerous readings for Sunday services. In 2016, she was given a Proclamation of Recognition and Gratitude from the Florida Humanities Council because of her eight years in charge of Emerson Center’s Florida Humanities Series.

Joyce edited five cookbooks and three family history books, and produced books for several other writers, all of which brought her great pleasure. She was an avid reader and, after transplanting to Vero, spent much of her time in front of a computer screen, writing, editing and in the joy of creating.

The Levi’s enjoyed 35 years of boating aboard various vessels named “Joy-Sea,” [27 feet – 40 feet plus swim platform and pulpit], exploring northeastern waters, and later the Intracoastal Waterway and rivers of Florida. They also enjoyed a number of charming cats in both New York and Florida.

The love of her life, Win, died in February 2003; but because love knows no distance, he has been with her and the family every day as a loving husband, father, mentor, and true gentleman of the old school, which as all who knew him will tell you, is exactly who he was.

In truth, both Joyce and Win brought to all they did in this life, honor, compassion, a fierce defense of fairness and justice, extreme competency, and undaunted sprit in the service of the community they loved. They were a perfect match for each other in keen intelligence, creative imagination, intellectual and spiritual curiosity, and their deep love of family. Joyce lived a charmed life, showering creative talent everywhere she went, in the service of that which she loved, and she will be dearly missed.

Joyce’s eldest son, Edward Joseph Cox (Ned) lives in Montreal with his wife Johanne andson Jeremy. Jeff is married to Jaelene and lives in Santa Monica with their son Wyeth. And Jon lives in Vero Beach where he has helped look after his Mom in the special way that only he could.

A memorial service will be held at the UU Fellowship on a date to be announced later, after the passing of our National Health crisis.

Memorial contributions could be sent to any area cultural, environmental or religious organization. She asked that her memorial plaque carry the words: “Wherever she is, she’s happy.”

And this, friends, is without any doubt, completely true.

Arrangements are by Thomas S. Lowther Funeral Home & Crematory, Vero Beach. An online guestbook is available at www.lowtherfamily.com