Howard Ivan Levine

Howard Ivan Levine, 84, of Chattanooga passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side on Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

Howard was born in Chattanooga on March 27, 1938.  He grew up on Missionary Ridge and graduated from The Bright School in 1950 and The McCallie School in 1956.  He went on to graduate in 1960 from Yale University, where he received a B.S. in Industrial Administration and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Yale Lightweight Crew.  He graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1963 and served in the U.S. Army as an enlisted officer and for several years in the Army Reserves as a 1st Lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General Corp.

Howard was a summer law clerk in 1962 with the law firm of Miller, Martin, Hitching, Tipton & Lenihan (today, Miller & Martin) and joined the firm as a full time attorney in 1963.  Howard continued to practice law his entire his life at Miller & Martin, which he loved and where he served for several years as Chairman/Managing Partner.

Howard was a beacon of service to the Chattanooga community for decades, and the following are a few of the several organizations he served over the years:  McCallie School (Trustee); Bright School (Trustee); Children’s Home/Chambliss Shelter (Board Member); Greater Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce (Board Member/Chairman); Mizpah Congregation (Board Member/President); Rotary Club of Chattanooga (President); Team Evaluation Center (President); Association of Yale Alumni (Board Member); and The Salvation Army Advisory Board (Chairman).

Professionally, Howard’s legal practice covered corporate, healthcare and trusts and estates law.  He served as Chairman of the Health Law Section of the Tennessee Bar Association and was listed as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” for over 30 years.  He served hundreds of clients during his 59 year career, including service as general counsel to Memorial Hospital for many years.  Howard was proud of his service to the hospital, which is where he spent the last few days of his life.

Howard was preceded in death by his father and mother, Jacob L. and Mary W. Levine, his brother Jay L. Levine, and his beloved daughter, Margaret L. Levine.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, M.J. Levine, his 2 sons, Jim Levine of Chattanooga (Jill) and Matthew Levine of McLean, Virginia (Heather Gazan), and by his 4 grandchildren, Jake Levine, Sam Levine, Eli Levine and Sydney Levine.

Howard loved his family more than anything in the world and was an amazing father, grandfather, husband, role model, leader and friend to so many people.  He was especially proud of The McCallie School, where he was named one of its Distinguished Alumni, and was so happy that both of his sons and two of his grandsons graduated from McCallie. 

Howard was incredibly proud of his son Jim, who followed his footsteps in the practice of law, and his son Matthew, who is an orthopedic surgeon.  He cherished the hours he spent on the golf course with his two oldest grandsons, Jake and Sam, who played with skill that Howard always aspired to achieve.   He loved time in Hilton Head with his younger grandchildren, Eli and Sydney, and looked forward to hearing about their baseball games and swim meets.  A diehard Atlanta Braves fan, he loved watching every game, especially the World Series wins in 1995 and 2021.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Mizpah Congregation (923 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403), The McCallie School (500 Dodds Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37404) or the charitable organization of your choice.

There will be a memorial service held for Howard at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at Mizpah Congregation and a lunch reception following at 12:00 noon at Chattanooga Golf & Country Club.

Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory, Battlefield Parkway

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.