David Levin, bon vivant, man of many interests, loved & admired for his generosity, joie de vivre & compassion passed away at his home in Boulder, CO at the age of 68 from pancreatic cancer. Born in Newark, NJ, June 10,1948, David did not live a conventional life.
He grew up in South Orange, NJ & graduated from Boston University with degrees in business administration, law & a masters in taxation & estate planning. David soon realized that sitting in an office doing estate planning was not for him. A childhood friend offered an escape “Let's open a hot air ballooning ranch in the San Luis Valley.” Knowing nothing about ballooning, David thought, "Why not?" The Balloon Ranch, America's only resort specializing in hot air ballooning was created. David quickly realized the pilots were the highest paid employees so he got his license. Who knew he would go on to become one of the world’s most celebrated & accomplished competitors in the sport of hot air & gas ballooning? After competing for 25 years and winning many competitions around the world, he became a much sought after competition director. Ballooning remained one of his passions and he enjoyed nothing more than donating rides to non-profit organizations and flying with friends in his signature red balloon from his east Boulder home. Of all the places David flew, his favorite was the small town of Filzmoos in the Austrian Alps where he went most every January to fly & ski.
His interest in aviation continued, becoming an avid paraglider, flying around north Boulder, Santa Barbara, Alsace & Chamonix, France, among many other places. On the suggestion from a friend he bought a new flying machine, which would hopefully put his wife Roberta's mind at ease as he would be less likely to do damage to his body. His motorized hang glider was yet another way to satisfy his aeronaut's soul.
Another of David’s passions was skiing. His idea of paradise was 10 inches of fresh powder at Vail where he would gracefully glide on alpine or telemark skis until his legs gave out, only to go back & do it again the next day. The 2015-16 season was a record breaking 70 days on the mountain. For the last 19 years David was able to further his love of skiing by becoming a volunteer instructor with Ignite Adaptive Sports, formerly known as the Eldora Special Recreation Program, (ESRP), where he taught skiing to both children & adults with a wide range of mental & physical disabilities. He truly found his calling, devoting both time & financial support for this wonderful organization. He was a member of the board for many years & president for 4 years. He recently received their first ever Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Service.
Though not religious, David was very devoted to the Boulder Jewish community & played a major role in the planning of the beautiful, new Boulder JCC. He, along with Roberta, co-chaired the building committee
where they had the pleasure of being the cheerleaders, working with a group of dynamic, committed, passionate individuals to make a dream come true. David carried on a family tradition of contributing generously locally and globally.
David adored his wife of 30 years, Roberta, and his children Matthew & Becca. He is also survived by his dear sister Susan, (Margie), brother Alan, (Ziza) and several nieces and nephews. His many dear friends in Boulder & around the world will miss his beautiful blue eyes, quick wit, charming smile and sense of adventure.
In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that memorial gifts be made in David’s honor, to Ignite Adaptive Sports, www.igniteadaptivesports.org
or the Boulder JCC, www.boulderjcc.org
A celebration of David’s life will be Thursday, May 18th at 5:45PM at the Boulder JCC,
6007 Oreg Drive Boulder, the corner of Arapahoe and Cherryvale Rd.
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