Jay Sanford Levine (88) passed away peacefully on Armed Forces Day-May 16, 2026. A fitting day for a proud Marine to be called home. He is survived by his loving wife Carol Decker-Levine; his children, Cathy (Mark) Gillen, Jay Sanford (Brenda) Levine Jr., Julie (Brian) O’Shea; and his stepchildren, Roy (Monica) Decker and Debbie (Dan) Sterken. Proud Grandfather to Colin Zaremba, John and Sofia O’Shea, Kyle and Sam Decker, Brandon and Scotty Sterken, and great-grandfather to Adrianna & Nathan Zaremba.
Jay Levine owned and operated Levine’s True Value Hardware, a family business founded by his grandmother, Amelia Levine, in 1928. The store was later passed to his father, Sanford Levine, and then to Jay, who ran it until his retirement in 2000. Jay loved the outdoors, spending summer weekends on his boat and taking snowmobile trips in the winter.
A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, May 28th, 2026 at Chapel Hill Gardens South Funeral Home 11333 S. Central Ave, Oak Lawn from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm where family and friends will gather to honor and remember a life well lived. Military burial will immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in Jay's memory to Wounded Warrior Project or ASPCA.
