Selma Ruth Baer Levine died peacefully on Nov. 18 in Longmont, Colorado, at the Balfour at Longmont retirement community, from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 93 years old.
Selma was born on July 7, 1930, to Anna Itzkowitz Baer and Herman Baer in New York City. She grew up in the Bronx, New York, surrounded by a large extended Jewish family and community. Selma told stories of the “Cousin’s Club,” where 30 to 40 relatives would get together for weddings, other occasions or summer outings. She was told that she learned Yiddish before English so that she could talk with her grandmother.
Selma received a business degree from Long Island University in 1953. She married Arthur Levine on Jan. 24, 1953, and left New York City for Rochester, New York, where she had her first child, Marcie, the next year. The couple then moved to Binghamton, New York, and then to Detroit, Michigan, where her second child, Steven, was born. After moves to Chicago, Illinois, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the couple settled in Overland Park, Kansas. They were married for 43 years when Arthur passed away in 1996.
Selma worked a variety of jobs in her career in retail. Having settled in Overland Park, she started as a salesperson in the Jones Store. She was soon promoted to buyer of the stationary department, a position she held for 18 years. She retired from full-time work in 2000 but continued to work part-time for several more years.
Her faith was important to her. She always celebrated the Jewish High Holy Days. The family joined Congregation Ohev Shalom when they moved to Overland Park. While working part-time, she joined its sisterhood and Hadassah, volunteering for the weekly bingo game and managing a Hadassah fashion show breakfast at the Jones Store.
She took the opportunity to travel to visit her children and grandchildren, and also traveled to destinations including the United Arab Emirates, India, Singapore, the Caribbean, Central and South America. She had a strong group of women friends that shared a love for theater, concerts, restaurants, and a monthly dinner group which still meets every month.
In 2017, Selma moved to Boulder, Colorado, to be closer to her daughter Marcie. She lived in Colorado until her recent passing. For all those who knew Selma, know that she was sassy and spicy until the end.
Selma is survived by one sibling, Cecile Sandago of Lynnwood, Washington. She is also survived by her children, Marcie Levine (Brian Stern) and Steve Levine (Jill Kyte), and grandchildren, Vel Levine, Zoe Levine and Matthew Stern. She is also survived by nieces and nephews Erica Baer Kose, Dan Baer, Adam Baer, Rebeccah Baer, Lisa Sandago and Michael Sandago.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Levine; her mother, Anna Baer; her father, Herman Baer; and her brother, Allan Baer.
The family is grateful to staff at the Balfour at Longmont retirement community for the heartfelt care and support that they gave to Selma during her final years.
Donations in Selma’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org). Condolences and memories for the family may be sent to and .
