Theodore “Ted” Levi was born Feb. 6, 1924, and passed away peacefully at his home on Oct. 18, 2011. He was the son of Janet Schuster and Theo Levi. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Henri Leighton.

Ted and his family moved from Greenville during the Great Flood of 1927 to Vicksburg, where they then remained. His father opened the House of Fashion on Washington Street. Ted was confirmed at Temple Anshe Chesed and graduated high school in Vicksburg. He attended college at Western Kentucky University, majoring in accounting, and later earned a degree from Mississippi College.

Ted was comptroller and CFO for Big River Shipbuilding from 1965 until 1976, CFO for Ole Man River Towing from 1976 until 1992 and CFO for Golding Barge Line from 1992 until he retired in 1998. He devoted almost 40 years to handling all of the accounting and administrative duties associated with the Golding families’ marine interest. He was very well respected and loved by those who worked with him and knew him.

Mr. Levi served on the boards of the Goldring/Woldenburg Institute of Southern Jewish Life and The Mississippi Humanities Council. He was the treasurer and president of The Vicksburg Art Association. He was an avid art collector and patron of the arts. He attended Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. The Art Center at Henry S. Jacobs Camp is named after Ted Levi.

Mr. Levi also served on the Board of Trustees and was president of Anshe Chesed Congregation. Having grown up in Vicksburg, Ted had a strong sense of history and an ongoing struggle to preserve Jewish life in the Deep South. He once stated, “I have a strong attachment to my Judaism and have a keen interest in Jewish art and architecture. I am deeply committed to efforts by the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience and Jacobs Camp to sustain Judaism and Jewish history in the region.”

Rabbi Marshal Klaven will conduct graveside services at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, at the Anshe Chesed Cemetery, Vicksburg. Friends are invited for coffee following the services in the Social Hall at Anshe Chesed Temple.

Memorials may be made to Anshe Chesed Temple, Perpetual Care Fund, 2414 Grove St., Vicksburg, MS 39183; Vicksburg Art Association, P.O. Box 1251, Vicksburg, MS 39180; or the Institute for Southern Jewish Life, P.O. Box 16528, Jackson, MS 35236.