Kay Levine
Catherine “Kay” Levine, 86, a Cold Spring resident who co-founded the Riverview Restaurant and was a longtime employee at Butterfield Hospital, died June 18 at Wingate at Beacon.
Kay was born Aug. 28, 1933, in New Hamburg, the daughter of Frank and Annunziata (Pettorrosi) Keays. She graduated in 1951 from Wappingers High School. A marriage in 1952 to John (Jack) Dyson ended in divorce.
In the late 1950s, Kay worked at Texaco Research Center, in Beacon, where she met John Levine. They were married in Beacon on Oct. 30, 1960. (John died on May 11 at age 82.) Shortly after, the couple opened the Riverview Restaurant on Fair Street in Cold Spring, which they sold in 1963. They remained Cold Spring residents for the rest of their lives.
In 1968, Kay began working at Butterfield Hospital, in Cold Spring, first as ward clerk, then medical records technician and, eventually, director of medical records. She remained at the hospital until it closed in 1993, leaving only briefly to take a position at Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel. She served on the committee for the annual Butterfield Hospital Fair for many years.
After retiring, Kay volunteered for both the Putnam History Museum and the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce, working in the visitors’ kiosk on Main Street.
In 1969, Kay became somewhat of a celebrity in Cold Spring when she appeared on Jeopardy, where she remained the defending champion for a full week. During the 1960s and 70s, she also dedicated much of her time to the Girl Scouts of America, serving as a troop leader. Kay also served as the Westchester-Putnam Council district chair and organized a jamboree at Haldane Central School which drew Girl Scouts from around the state.
A rock ‘n roll fan, Kay began attending concerts in the mid-1970s. In 1977, she took her children to their first concert — Fleetwood Mac at Madison Square Garden. Over the next several decades, Kay attended nearly 50 concerts, including performances by Billy Joel, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Jethro Tull, Chicago, ELO, the Doobie Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones.
During their 59 years together, John and Kay traveled extensively around the country, visiting nearly every state. During the 1980s and 1990s, they took their grandchildren Rebecca, Emily and Colin on some of these adventures.
Like her late husband, Kay was a diehard football fan, and the Giants were her team. She also got immense joy watching her grandsons play for the Philipstown Pop Warner Seahawks and the Haldane Blue Devils. Anyone who knew her well will remember Kay’s passionate — albeit sometimes overzealous — support of her teams.
She is survived by her children, Pamela Dyson Faulds (Tim) of Fishkill; Lori Moss (Hugh) of Cold Spring; Patricia Levine, of Beacon; and John Levine of Fishkill; her grandchildren, Rebecca Sela (Dave); Emily Ivansheck (Zach), Colin Faulds, and Victoria, John, James and William Moss; and her great-grandchildren, Owen Ivansheck and Harper Ivansheck. She also is survived by a sister-in-law, Carole Rapalje of Beacon.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org). A memorial service is being planned to celebrate the lives of Kay and John, who were married 60 years ago in October.
Information provided by Clinton Funeral Home
