Edward R Levine
April 3, 1947 - June 24, 2009

"Ed You gave me my first career step into Oceanography working many hours on ships at sea and in the office. I continue your legacy and your teachings each year inspiring my science and robotics students. Your life force will continue in jazz within rhythms and as well within each wave's energy. Thank You for everything. Much love and respect Linda PS What were the odds we ended up at the SAME party Minda's and Nicki's in Manhattan, NYC. That was totally Levine!"

"Hey Ed! It's about 3 weeks since your molecules were reassigned. I think about you a lot every day. Elementary School, Junior High School, High School, College, hot double dates, the Summer of 1968 in an apartment on the Lower East Side all the way to that 4-day weekend in Jersey City this past January that we called our Cold Weather Maneuvers were some amazing times shared over 6 decades. You had the keys to my house and I had the keys to yours. We had planned to hang out a lot more with our retirements from the j-o-b. It wasn't meant to be. Sara and Magic already miss your visits. It was amazing how quickly you could transform our backroom that was neat as a pin into a giant mess that looked like an archeological dig. I will be ever greatful for our friendship."

"I first met Ed when we were both graduate students at URI. It was clear from the beginning that he was a thoroughly unique individual. Later we used to hang out in Newport together, two single guys looking for a good time. After I moved to Seattle, got married, and had a son, Ed came out for a visit and stayed for a few days. He gave my son a stuffed bear that became his favorite toy during the first 2 years of life. My son just graduated from college, and when we were cleaning out his room a few weeks ago that bear was still there. At the time, my wife and I remembered Ed's visit from 20 years earlier. Little did we realize what was going on. I hadn't seen Eddie very often in recent years but we still reminisced whenever we saw each other at big meetings; even so, Ed was one of the more memorable fellows that I have ever met. What a great guy. I'm shocked, and I'll miss you, Eddie."

"Dear Eddi, these lines are coming from Regina and me Joachim and are exclusively written for you. When we both heard what happened, Wendell told us last week, we were completely shocked. Regina shouted out: What Eddi - your, Wendell's and Lou's good friend? She really could not believe it or may be we both did not want to realize it as you are still so alive and close for us. She remembers you as a loving person - a real cosy teddy bear, as she said. We will keep you in mind like you were when we met us last time on Lou's and Wendies wedding in 2006. Thank God that, although already being back in Germany, Regina and I could make it back to the US to share the last pleasant moments with you and all our other friends. Eddi, you were an essential part of our joint group of open-minded biological and physical scientists at SMAST. But we all were not just colleagues but also friends and shared a lot of our private time discussing good and bad things, supporting each other in serious times - a bit like in a family. We also had lot's of fun. But let me say this: Regina and I will never forget that both you and Lou as my close Jewish colleagues and friends never had any prejudices against us as Germans and that we all could very openly talk even about the awful part of the most recent German history. However, the truth behind this is that we were open-minded enough to realize that we could not lose anything, but gain things and learn from each other. This is one of the highest honors you could make to us. We will never forget this!!! I always had the strong wish to see you and the rest of our group again, at the latest when we all would be retired re-sharing some more good moments. We will miss you! Rest in peace, my friend - Shalom, Eddi ! In memoriam, Joachim and Regina Groeger - Kiel, Germany in July 2009 - -"

"Ed, as your long time friend and drum instructor for over 12 years I will miss you greatly my friend and fellow music lover. Bob Gullotti"

"I am so sorry to learn of the passing of Eddie. With deepest sympathy to his family and friends, Nancy H. White Newport, RI"

"Dear Ed, I am very sad to learn of your sudden passing. During the time we were in the same group, we did not meet often; however, you had always given me a warm talk that encouraged me, and gave me more confidences. I missed you and sincerely wish you will be rest in peace. My deepest sympathy is to your family and friends."

"Ed was one of the folks at the Newport lab whom I always felt were totally dedicated to supporting the Navy's needs without respect to lab politics. You could always trust him to do what he thought best for the Navy, not what was best for Ed. He was an exceptionally competent scientist and an even more exceptional person."

"There are people in this world that have the gift to bring humor into peoples lives and leaving it behind them when they go. Eddie was one of those people. Thinking of him will always bring a smile. He was a loyal and true friend,"

"Ed - I'll miss you. Our paths crossed only occasionally, usually at conferences, but when they did we made sure to find some live music somewhere. Even if the bands were sometimes lousy, we had a great time and your company was always enjoyable. Thanks for the memories. I am sorry you had to leave so soon."

"I cannot recall the first time that I met Ed. It was probably a hand-shake and a smile at some oceanographic conference. My first definitive recollection is the IUGG meeting in Hamburg, ca. 1984. Ed wanted to see the town but was somewhat reluctant. “I still know enough of the language to keep us both from getting into too much trouble” was my recommendation. We spent a wonderful evening exploring the downtown “culture” of nightclubs and other offerings, and dragged ourselves back to our hotel sometime around 4-AM. Ed and I spent a few fleeting moments together at various oceanographic meeting for the next decade. The local jazz clubs always needed close inspection, something that gave Ed personal and professional pleasure. We started our scientific collaboration in the mid 1990s. Ed wanted to make turbulence measurements from an autonomous underwater vehicle – something that had never been done. He had several AUVs at his disposal at NUWC. It took several tries but Ed was determined to be the first to use an AUV. In January of 1996 we succeeded. Through this work, I really got to know and admire Ed. His gentle soul, generosity and affability touched not just me, his friend and college, but also my family. I always had a place to stay in Newport whether Ed was in town or not – the key to the backdoor was always hidden in the barbeque. Ed’s first visit to my home was at our cottage on Meadow Lake – cowboy country in British Columbia. He could not leave Newport before we left for Meadow Lake. Consequently, Ed had to negotiate his own way, from the Vancouver Airport to the train terminal in North Vancouver, to take the daily snail-train to cowboy-land, a trip that took him from the coastal fjords with lush steep mountain sides, through the snow capped Coast Range and into the dry interior plateau. Ed was much amused by the two ladies seated next to him. They explained that their first ride was in 1949 and that the train seldom jumps the track to fall into the steep canyons only inches from the window. He then watched two men in business suits jump off the train with chainsaws to clear the tracks from two Douglas firs felled by a recent forest fire. “Neat trip”, he declared when I picked him up at the station for the 30-mile back road trip to Meadow Lake. It was a great visit, he enjoyed the serenity of a cottage with no power or running water, and he came to be affectionately known as “Mr. Ed” by Tasha and Sabrina. He showed a genuine understanding and compassion for Tasha who has severe special needs, and this meant a great deal to all of us. Sandie, the girls and I still recall fondly Ed’s last visit to our home in Victoria a few years ago. He would not contemplate showing up without flowers and something for the girls. I saw Ed for the last time in January of this year. I was on a 10-day business trip to Cape Cod and spent a weekend with Ed. He was his usual self and I saw no sign of problems and, quite possibly, he did not yet have any symptoms of his developing lymphoma. We shoveled the snow off his driveway and walkways. He proudly showed off his new steps to the front door, the walkway to the street, the furnace and his Subaru. He was quite excited about two new ladies in his life. He showed me the pictures of a friend-of-a-friend in New jersey who he liked very much and was responsible for cranking up the miles on his odometer rather rapidly. The other women was a lawyer in Boston who wanted to see a picture of Ed before agreeing to meet him. I took the picture and returned to the Cape. On Wednesday I was back to pick up the boots I left behind and to take a quick lunch with Ed. He happily announced, “The photo worked”. “Mrs. Boston wants to meet”. “You can stay as long as you want but, at 6 PM you are on your own, because I am driving to Boston for a face-to-face”. That was the last time I saw Ed. Ed must have suffered greatly in his last 8 weeks. No one deserved this less than Ed. We are still"

"Ed and I were graduate students together at GSO. His humor and gentle demeanor were a pleasant part of those years, so were his funny quirks, like calling his chiropractor on the eve of a new date, to soothe a cold or some other perceived malady. If only that could have worked recently. Ed reminds me of all those friends that we take for granted, those wonderful beings for whom distance or routine gets in the way of more personal contact, until too late, when a memorial note must suffice instead of personal smile. Our recent exhanges were generally at an AGU meeting, the last one a couple of years ago. It was Channukah. Ed and I lit candles together in my hotel room, managing not to set the curtains ablaze. That was nice; I'll remember you that way, Ed. Bob Weisberg"

"As a newly-minted graduate from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, my first job was working on a Fortran program to compute rotary covariance for Ed. During the intervening 29 years, I’ve been a coworker and briefly, a supervisor. Ed could be intense at moments, but he was passionate about life; he cared about the outcome. As already noted, he had a great wit that drew from a wide range of sources to provide a perspective that amused and challenged you simultaneously. His agile and creative mind always helped to restore the balanced perspective that helped everyone through the clutter of life. His lothario shtik was sufficiently seasoned with enough self-deprecation to disarm and amuse. He knew how to laugh. As a fellow amateur musician, he was always up for helping me improve my craft, whether through loaning CDs, discussing drum claves, or bringing his guitar to work for me to try. His sudden death is a loss for all of us."

"We were shocked and sadden to hear of the passing of our neighbor, Ed. With deepest sympathy,"

"I had the opportunity to get to know Ed through our estuarine scientist band. His dry sense of humor and talent kept us all on our toes. I'll miss him."

"As with so many of Ed's friends and colleagues, I am still reeling from the shock of losing him. We were fellow GSO students back in the '70's and shared many interests: oceanography, making music, and time at Casa Olsen on South Road in Wakefield. It was a joy to reconnect with Ed recently, again through music leavened with just the right touch of ocean science and just plain fun. The NEERSighteds and Hot Toddies will never be the same without Ed on the drums. In his honor our EPA group will be doing "I Can See Clearly Now" -- the first tune Ed and I did together, with Ed on the conga, many years ago. It's fitting, I think, and we'll give it our all, just as Ed would want. He could be prickly, but underneath was a heart of gold: a genuine mench. It hard to believe he's gone."

"Ed was a good friend and advisor since the first day I arrived in United States five years ago. We did a lot of sea test together. And I can still remember his big smile when we first successfully completed the night T-REMUS experiment in Monterey Bay in 2005. It was a great sudden when I heard the news that he passed away as we just had a meeting a month ago and he promised to give me some advice on my PhD dissertation. I will miss his scientific insight and advice, but even more his humor and smile."

"I always thought of Eddie as my older, "cooler" cousin. Whether he was telling me about his experiences conducting research on a ship, playing the drums in a band or teaching at UMass/Dartmouth, Eddie always seemed to have a very fascinating life. It deeply saddens me that this exciting life was suddenly cut short. I will truly miss my cousin...a kind, brilliant and oftentimes, funny person."

"As young, freshly minted PhD oceanographers, Ed and I took an excursion to an Australian beach resort after the IUGG meeting in Canberra in the late '70s. He was a great guy to be on the prowl with. You had to love his humor, his music, his parrot. It was always a pleasure to see him at meetings and seminars. He will be sorely missed."

"Ed and I "did" GSO together getting our degrees the same year. We worked together on a few projects after he went to NUSC. What a delight he was to be with and what a sad shock to hear that he is gone. I'll never forget the way he cocked his head whenever he spoke about his parrot."

"Eddie was a kind soul at heart. He and I were companions for many years.We even married for a short time, even though that did not work out. We enjoyed a deep-abiding love and friendship of each other, eddie's relatives, friends, and Yes, Peter, the bird! When I think of Eddie, I think of Key West, parrots, deeeply textured friendships,Point Rey.Jazz, drums and an endearing intelligence and dry wit. I saw him a year ago and in driving away --he parted with his characteristic--open hand flitter-pointing to my volvo car--saying "wow -a Volvo." He was smiling. I will always think of him that way. Go in peace and love --always Patricia A Leyden."

"Ed and I were good friends. He did a Masters degree with me at URI, and we published a joint paper based on this work. I am very sorry to hear that he passed away so suddenly and so soon. My wife enjoyed him and both my kids remember him. On two or three occasions, after moving back to to Califronia, I had the chance to visit with Ed. Last time we saw him was in San Diego not too many years ago, and we had great fun. Goodby Ed, Kern"

"Ed was a good friend and colleague for many years. Ed and I shared a passion for music and over the years went to many jazz performances together, and Ed played the drums in a few groups with me. His wry humor, his love of life, and his honesty made Ed a unique person. I consider myself fortunate to have known Ed, and I will miss him."

"Ed, Wendy and I both love you and miss you immensely. You have been a major part of my life and we have shared many, many ups and downs. This road which you recently took was unexpected and untimely. But somehow I know there is some meaning to this. Finding that will be my final journey of discovery. Your Friend, Lou"

"I knew Ed since URI days. Great sense of humor, always ready to laugh. He was a good buddy who loved women, wine, and song...and his long-time avian friend. He will be much missed."

"As a colleague of Ed's for many years, I was saddened to learn of his sudden passing. He always had time for a friendly word and smile and he will be missed. My deepest sympathy to his family."