Deceased April 23, 2018

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In Memory

Peter died peacefully and in the company of family and friends on April 23, 2018, after a long struggle with complications from diabetes.

He came to Amherst in the fall of 1966 after growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., and attending James Madison High School. He was affectionately known as “Yogi” by his Delta Upsilon fraternity brothers, which was a nickname shared with his brother Carl ’64, who was also a member of DU. Peter would reminisce fondly of watching basketball games in the Cage, throwing shot for the track team and long hours in the chemistry lab working on his honors thesis. He often told the story of how his thesis advisor modified a piece of glassware that allowed him to successfully complete his experiments which would not have been possible otherwise. He prided himself on being somewhat of a nerd and not being a big partier. It was on a blind date during his time at Amherst where he met his future wife, Melanie, then a student at UMass.

After graduating Amherst in 1970, he and Melanie married, and he attended medical school at Tufts University from which he graduated in 1974, just a few days after the birth of his first son, Todd ’96. He completed his internal medicine residency at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston, MA.

He then moved his family to Longmeadow, Mass., and was an internist and medical administrator in Springfield, Mass., loved and respected by his patients and colleagues. His biggest strengths were his ability to connect with people and lead with his heart.

He was also an avid sports fan and supported his sons (Todd, Evan and Jay) through all of their lacrosse and basketball games and kept his love for watching the Knicks and Giants despite living in Red Sox and Patriots territory. He also fell in love with weekends and vacations spent at the family summer home in Sturbridge, Mass., where he could often be seen floating and swimming peacefully on Quacumquasit Lake. 

Todd Levine ’96, Carl Levine ’64 and Paul Levine ’92