Milton Arthur Levenfeld

Milton A. Levenfeld passed away on October 21, 2021, at the age of 94. Milton was born on March 18, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois, and passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in Canton, Massachusetts.

He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 72 years Iona Wishner Levenfeld, three children Barry (Jill Shafton), David (Deborah Rivel) and Judy (Anthony Hollenberg), 11 grandchildren Tali (Dror), Jacob (Lydia), Robert (Tori), Yoni (Hadas), Adam, Gabi (Alon), Sam, Eric, Dani, Jonny and Nate, and three great-grandchildren, Lia, Shalev and Cora. He was a proud family man, taking great interest in the accomplishments of his progeny across the globe.

Funeral will take place at Stanetsky Memorial Chapels, 475 Washington Street, Canton, MA on Friday, October 22nd at 1:00 pm, with burial to follow at Sharon Memorial Park.

Services will be livestreamed, to join zoom meeting please see link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84663159230?pwd=SVBqL045YlltZ1lyREI1VDI3RnBSZz09

Meeting ID: 846 6315 9230

Passcode: 310275

Milton was the son of Mitchell (Avrom) Levenfeld and Florence (Fraydel Blumeh) Berman. Milton was the younger sibling of Bernice “Niki” Yeracaris (Costas) and Norma Sadwick (Hal), all of whom predeceased him. He grew up in Chicago during the depression years, and spent most of his life in Chicago and north suburban Highland Park (from 1956 to 2014).

After a brief service in the U.S. Navy towards the end of World War II, he attended the University of Chicago, where he met and married Iona Wishner on December 18, 1949. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in 1947 and went on to UChicago Law School, earning his J.D. in 1950, and was a member of the Illinois Bar Association. He was also a Certified Public Accountant.

Milton had a storied legal career, starting with the law offices of David Altman, that later became Altman, Levenfeld & Kanter. His career took off with the establishment of Levenfeld & Kanter in 1963 (later Levenfeld, Kanter, Baskes & Lippitz), which became a premier nationwide tax, trust & estate boutique law firm, with well-known clients in the entertainment, sports and business worlds. Early in his career, Milton argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm later divided and eventually was restructured as Levenfeld Pearlstein, a respected regional general practice law firm in Chicago with over 100 lawyers, which still bears his name.

Milton was a leader in Jewish communal activities. He was a member of North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, where Milton and Iona contributed a community Sukkah used till this day. He held many leadership positions with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, including the head of Special Gifts. He played a significant role in re-establishing the Federation’s Legacies and Endowment Fund, which started with approximately $39 million and now is in excess of $1 billion. He served as President of the Chicago Israel Chamber of Commerce, and a recipient of the “Keter Shem Tov” (Crown of Good Name) Award from the Jewish National Fund. Milton was also a member of the Standard Club of Chicago.

Milton received the Key to City of Highland Park from Mayor Michael Belsky in recognition of his local leadership. He was a devoted supporter of the University of Chicago, both the Law School and College, and an enthusiastic supporter and attendee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival.

Milton spent his final years at Orchard Cove in Canton, Massachusetts, proud of the accomplishments of his children, and taking great joy as his grandchildren grew into accomplished and loving young adults. He took special pleasure that his children and their spouses were all active contributing members to society and the Jewish world. He lived to see five of his grandchildren marry and to learn of the births of three great-grandchildren.

Donations in memory of Milton may be made to the Friends of the IDF, at their website www.fidf.org or by check to FIDF, 29 East Madison Street, Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60602.