RADM LEE EDWARD LEVENSEN

VS29 XO/CO 68-70 Last CO of CVS 11, USS Intrepid

 6/13/1931-9/17/2022

Lee Edward Levenson, RADM, USN (Ret.)

6/13/1931 - 9/17/2022

Rear Admiral Lee E. Leven­son died Septem­ber 17 at the age of 91 in La Jolla, CA. As a parishioner of Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, he was prepared to meet Jesus, his Lord and Savior. 

Lee was born June 13, 1931, in Pittsburgh, PA, to Herman and Esther (Dam­aske) Levenson. Even though he was born on Friday the 13th, he was not superstitious as he often said that he had a great life. 

He attended Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh, and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1957. He met the love of his life Rosaline “Roz” Babinsky, who was enrolled in a five-year nursing program at the University of Pittsburgh, and was from Uniontown, PA. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in La Jolla on August 10. As a couple, they readily accepted the joys and challenges of military and family life, raising a son and daughter, work­ing on their golf games and developing lifelong friend­ships along the way.  

Lee was preceded in death by his father, mother, and sister Janet Gallo (Leonard). He is survived by his wife Roz, son Lee Jr. (Cheryl), and daughter Lynn Ann Margraf (J. Devereux), along with five grandchildren, Lauren Lyn Leven­son, Katelyn Ann Margraf Rackowski (Timothy), Jennifer Ellen Margraf, John Devereux Margraf Jr. and Andrew Lee Margraf. 

When Lee approached the naval recruiter in Pittsburgh, he asked Lee if he had flown before. Lee said “no” though he quickly emphasized that he had built dozens of model airplanes in his youth and had a strong desire to fly. He entered the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in Feb­ru­ary 1952 and served with dedication and distinction in the U.S. Navy until his retirement in Septem­ber 1984. 

Lee’s significant duty stations included Commanding Officer (CO), Air Antisubmarine Squad­ron Twenty-nine (VS-29); CO, USS Tripoli (LPH-10); CO, USS Intrepid (CVS-11); Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Philippines; and Com­mander, ASWWINGPAC. While serving as CO of USS Tripoli, Tripoli received the coveted Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy for achieving the greatest improvement in battle efficiency in the Pacific Fleet. 

Lee served as the last CO of USS Intrepid, decommission­ing the Essex-class aircraft carrier at the end of its final deployment in 1974. With its storied ser­vice dur­ing World War II, the Cold War and Vietnam War, Intrepid became the center­piece of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and is berthed on the Hudson River in New York City. 

Following retirement from the U.S. Navy, Lee worked in senior positions with ORINCON and ARINC. Lee and Roz joined La Jolla Country Club in 1986. 

Burial and a celebration of his life will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be announced. 

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorial con­tributions be made to the United States Navy Memorial at navy­memorial.org. 

We wish our beloved hus­band, father, and grand­father fair winds and following seas as he arrives at his final port of call to heaven with Jesus Christ our Lord.