Jc Levendowski

1931 - 2023

JC Levendowski
September 9, 1931 - March 8, 2023
Sacramento, California - JC (aka Jerry), born in St. Cloud, Minnesota, passed away peacefully in his home at the age of 91.
What JC would want you to know about him is what he did – he was known to say, "you could have done better" and did his best to live that out for himself. He served in the military, earned a handful of academic degrees in economics and education culminating with a PhD in Education, retired from his first career with the California Department of Education (which included serving as Acting State Director for Vocational-Technical Education) and retired from a second career as the President of the Applied Management and Planning Group.
But in rattling off his amazing list of accomplishments, what you would miss is JC's generous heart and genuine care for others. One of JC's core passions was supporting Canine Companions (CC), an organization that provides trained service dogs so that individuals can live with greater independence. JC served as a volunteer puppy raiser for several dogs, including Bella, who was later returned to him. Bella was JC's faithful and constant companion for many years. Bella served as a mascot for the covert WWII SACO military organization that served in Nationalist China, and together they would visit various local veteran groups and nursing facilities to brighten the day for others. JC established The Bella Fund with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to provide free veterinary services for veterans with service dogs. JC also helped to fund the CC Veterans Initiative that places service dogs with veterans with PTSD. These special service dogs are trained to identify each veteran's unique stressors and perform tasks that directly disrupt escalation of symptoms, thus enhancing their quality of life.
JC was lovingly referred to by his neighbors as the "Mayor of Arbusto Circle." He and Bella would sit on the front lawn during dog-walking rush hour to pet every dog and hand out treats. In pretty much any conversation, Dr. Levendowski could educate on history, economics, politics, and raising dogs. He would be quick to have a "big talk" to share his insight and teach you a better way. To JC, a meal was not complete without ice cream, and it was not unusual for him to have as many as a dozen half-gallon cartons on deck in his stand-alone freezer. JC was an equal opportunist when it came to following his beloved University of Minnesota Gopher sports – it could have been competitive basket weaving and he would still follow the scores and rankings.
JC is survived by his two daughters Lynn and Lisa; four sons, Daniel, Terrence, Thomas, and John; six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Donations in memory of JC Levendowski may be made to Canine Companions, P.O. Box 446, Santa Rosa, CA 95402, or to the charity of your choice.