Dr. Barry William Levine MD

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Barry William Levine, MD, on July 20, 2025, at the age of 85. A resident of Newton, Massachusetts, Barry's journey on earth touched the lives of all who knew him. Today, we pause to remember, honor, and celebrate a life that was marked not only by remarkable achievements but also by everyday acts of kindness, courage, and love.

Barry was born in 1940 in Everett, Massachusetts to Irving and Betty Levine, Lithuanian immigrants who came to the United States to escape Nazi persecution. Barry grew up in Portland, Maine. When he started kindergarten, he spoke only Yiddish and had to quickly learn English as a second language. As a teenager he became involved in the Boy Scouts of America and went on to become the youngest Eagle Scout of his time from the State of Maine. In 1958, he graduated from Deering High School where he was a star athlete and student. In his senior yearbook he listed his favorite activities as "Football, Talking, and Lunch at Wally's."

Barry attended Dartmouth College where he entered an accelerated joint-degree program with Harvard Medical School. He graduated cum laude in Chemistry from Dartmouth College in 1962 and in 1965 he graduated from Harvard Medical School. He then interned at The Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. In 1968, he returned to Massachusetts for his medical residency with the Harvard Service at the Boston City Hospital. This was followed by a fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Pulmonology. In 1970, he joined the staff of the MGH and became an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Barry then spent the next five decades at MGH where he cared for thousands of patients and touched many lives. He also educated and mentored the next generation of clinicians, always emphasizing and remembering that the "patient is human."

Beyond professional accomplishments, Barry's personal life was rich and full. In 1963, he married the love of his life and fellow Mainer, Ellen Haas. Together they had two daughters, Susan and Rachel and raised their family in Newton, Massachusetts. Barry and Ellen loved life, their family, their many friends, and travel. Barry, however, deeply loved and was most proud of his grandsons, Sam and Ben. He loved watching them develop as young men and took great joy in their educational and athletic accomplishments.

Barry had a lifelong passion for knowledge and learning. He taught himself electronics, woodworking, plumbing, painting, model-building, and sailing, among other things. Until very late in life, he was in constant motion always doing or fixing something. His view was that there was no need to take a car to a mechanic or call a plumber for a problem when you could just roll up your sleeves, get some tools, and fix it yourself.

North Haven, Maine also became Barry and Ellen's home away from home. In the early 1970s, after Barry served as the summer island doctor, Barry and Ellen fell in love with the island and its people. They then bought land and built a house on the island forming many enduring friendships with the island community.

Words cannot capture the full measure of a life so richly lived. His family takes comfort in the memories we have from the time spent with him. Barry is survived by Ellen, his wife of 62-years, his daughter Susan J. Levine and her husband Matthew Archibald of South Portland Maine, his daughter Dr. Rachel Hitt and her husband John Hitt of Milton Massachusetts, and his two grandsons, Sam and Ben Hitt.