, a local philanthropist and the wife of the late New York state Sen. Norman J. Levy. Family members and friends said Joy Levy's unending support for her husband helped to catapult him from the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, where he headed the rackets bureau, to the state Senate in 1970.
Joy Levy, a longtime Merrick resident, died March 4 of respiratory failure at Long Beach Medical Center after suffering two strokes over the past 12 years. She was 65.
A number of elected leaders attended Levy's funeral services, including state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., who succeeded Norman Levy in 1998, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Assemblyman David McDonough, Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kathleen Murray, as well as former County Executive Thomas Gulotta and former Long Island Power Authority Chairman Richard Kessel, a longtime friend of the Levys'.
