Morris (Morry) Levy, 79, of West Lafayette, passed away on January 24, 2024. He was born in 1944 to Abraham and Edythe-June Kaplan Levy in Chicago, Illinois.

Morry grew up in Chicago with his beloved brother and favorite fishing buddy, Louis Levy.  Montrose Harbor at Lincoln Park was one of their favorite spots for smelt fishing. Morry was afflicted with an ardent lifelong love for Vienna Beef hot dogs and Chicago’s sports teams, even during the Cubs’ 108-year championship drought.

Morry gave nearly fifty years of service to Purdue University, working as a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, where his research focused on evolution and genetics. His research led to longstanding collaborations with scientists in Colombia, where he traveled regularly and developed a strong love for the people and culture. At Purdue, Morry was a champion of equity, and focused on removing barriers to access for young scientists underrepresented in the field. He and his beloved wife, Maria Mercedes (Mechas), along with Professor Ignacio Camarillo, co-founded and served as advisors for the Purdue chapter of the SACNAS national student association. He worked tirelessly during his time chairing the Purdue University Senate to expand day care facilities for the children of Purdue’s faculty, staff, and graduate students; in 2016, the Morris Levy Playground was dedicated in his honor at Purdue’s Early Care and Education Center. In 2020, Morry’s devotion to service was recognized by Purdue’s Dreamer Award.

Perhaps above all, Morry will be remembered for his warmth and good humor. He treated strangers as friends and friends as family. He loved a well-told (and sometimes off-color) joke, a Three Stooges routine, or a wide-ranging conversation over coffee or dinner. He made a mean puttanesca sauce and was renowned for his homemade strawberry preserves, which he especially loved to make alongside his grandchildren.

Morry’s memory is carried by his wife, Mechas; his daughters, Karen Levy (and husband Sam Conway) and Susan Levy (and husband Cooper Smith); his grandchildren, Sadie and Benjamin Conway and Eva Smith; and the many extended family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, teammates, and students whose lives he touched and enriched.

In lieu of a funeral, family and friends will hold a celebration of Morry’s life this spring. Memorial contributions can be made to: It’s My Closet, Jefferson High School, 1801 S. 18th Street, Lafayette, IN 47905 (checks payable to “It’s My Closet”). Or, donations can be made to Food Finders Lafayette, https://www.food-finders.org/get-involved/donate/#donate-food

Some of Morry’s greatest triumphs (and tragedies) were with his intramural softball team, the Celluloid Heroes. In the words of Ray Davies: “Celluloid heroes never feel any pain. And celluloid heroes never really die.”