We honor
the memory of Robert A. Levin, the man who made Walking Stick
possible, to begin with. He will be fondly remembered with very
step we and retreat participants will ever take on this beautiful
land that he purchased for Walking Stick.
Bob was
the most active and ardent supporter of our work in its fledgling
phases and for subsequent years, giving generously of his hard-earned
resources until we were up and running -- not only funding us
but also providing us with wise and practical counsel. We miss
him deeply, as do countless other individuals and institutions
that he had helped both philanthropically and pragmatically.
A selfless man, Bob possessed a tremendous sense of self and
in his mid-eighties exhibited the power of presence and wisdom
expected of a true elder. He died peacefully in his sleep the
night between Monday July 18 and Tuesday July 19, 2005, the
twelfth day of the Hebrew Moon of Tammuz in the lunar reckoning
of the Hebraic year 5765 -- five days before his 86th birthday.
In accordance with his last wish, the dust of his body was
cast to the four winds from the rocky cliffs of the Walking
Stick land near Cuba, New Mexico.
Bob was
indeed a wise elder to many, not only Jewish people. He was
honored by people representing all walks, including Muslims,
Christians, Buddhists, and Native Americans, as he touched
the lives of a wide variety of peoples and was in turn touched
himself by all cultures. He prepared himself to die for well
over a year, and passed on with a gracefulness to be envied,
and certainly to be honored.
