James Francis Levis Jr.

James (Jim) F. Levis, 76, of Georgetown, TX, formerly of River Edge, NJ, passed away peacefully on July 3, 2026, surrounded by family in Houston, TX after a hard-fought battle with a recent illness. His family remains deeply grateful for the almost two years of extended life given to him by his lung transplant.

Jim was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and spent summers at his grandfather’s home in Andover, MA. His senior year of high school he moved to Fort Lee, NJ where he met his wife of 51 years, Claudia (nee Bracco) Levis. After graduating Fort Lee High School Jim locally attended college. While attending Bergen Community College and William Paterson University, Jim served in the Army National Guard of New Jersey as a mechanic.

After graduation Jim and Claudia relocated to Virginia for Jim’s employment with Atlantic Container Line, before returning to New Jersey to settle down to raise a family in River Edge, NJ.

During his almost four decades in River Edge, Jim was active in the community. Jim served on the River Edge Board of Education, coached youth softball and soccer, was active in the Knights of Columbus, Monsignor Burke Council #5015, obtaining the rank of a Fourth Degree Knight and served as a Grand Knight, and served as a lecturer at St. Peter’s the Apostle Church where he also contributed to writing, narrating and performing in the church theater performance, "Showtime".

Jim was employed in the shipping industry for 35 years designing computer systems for international trade while at Atlantic Container Line, Rijnhaave, and Maher Terminals where he served as the Director of Electronic Data Interchange.

Following early retirement, he stayed active as a driving instructor, school bus driver, including being the first school bus driver for the River Edge School District, and an ambulance driver and EMT for the River Edge Volunteer Ambulance Services (REVAS) for ten years.

Jim was a loving, compassionate, dedicated husband, father and grandfather. He is survived by his loving wife, Claudia of Georgetown, TX; daughter Kim and her husband, Nick Vo, and their daughters Delphia and Maureen of Austin, TX; son Jon Levis and his significant other, Heidi Wise of Swainsboro, GA. Jim was predeceased by his parents, James and Marie (McGreevy) Levis, and his two brothers William (Bill) and Michael (Mike) Levis.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to River Edge Volunteer Ambulance Services, P.O. Box 44, River Edge, N.J. 07661; Wounded Warriors Project, PO Box 758547, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8541; Tunnel to Towers Foundation 2361 Hylan Blvd. Staten Island, NY 10306; American Lung Association 55 W. Wacker Drive Suite 1150 Chicago, Illinois 60691.

A memorial service will be held at a time yet to be determined.