Ira Sheldon Levy, having taken all of the lessons required by his life's plan, and having - finally - passed all associated tests, joyfully matriculated to advanced studies in Paradise on month, day, year from his Spanish pink adobe hacienda in Kennewick. Born in Newton, MA in 1931 to Betty and Harry Levy, Ira eventually acquired a PhD at the age of thirty-two. While exploring employment opportunities before graduation, he was impressed with what Texas Instruments, outside of Dallas had to offer, particularly the long-legged Texan beauties in those parts. But, Fate intervened. General Electric, out in the Hanford desert, made him an excellent offer due to their mistaken belief that his PhD thesis research made him an expert in liquid metal technology. So, he moved to Kennewick. Early on, it became clear to Ira what Fate had in her mind for him. One day in 1965, she arranged for him to be in the plant library when he saw walking up the stairway on his left, hips moving to an fro, a to-die-for gorgeous, long-legged redhead, and, he later discovered, a Texan to boot! When Gloria looked down at him and smile, Ira, the confirmed bachelor, was a goner. Three years later, on Saturday, February 18, 1968, after a day on the slopes at Squaw Valley, Ira and his "Darlin' Girl" - she was a Methodist, he a Jew - were married by a rabbi during an idyllic ceremony in Reno, for "always". Then Ira look upon Gloria's two girls, pronounced them good as well as beautiful and adopted them. On the job, Ira had his successes, including two sole-authored and one joint-authored patent in alloy development. He also had his failures, among them the Spent Fuel Geologic Isolation Project but who didn't fail on that one…even after more than 25 years!. For Ira, the years subsequent to 1965 were typical of those experienced by the Clark Kent's of this world who, in there own way, have a Superman hidden within. The early highs and joys of the 1960's and '70's gave way, in the '80's and '90's, to the trials and fears he had to overcome. On the job, Fate again came to his aid in the form of the Great Hanford Project Purge of 1995, and Ira got out with his skin, health, and a few bucks in his pocket. But, family health problems came and in 1992 Gloria's mother passed away and, then, in the same week of October 1998 both Gloria and his mother in Boston also passed away. With vast reserves of inner strength and the support of family and good friends, Ira successfully weathered these challenges. To Ira, as he looked back in later years, the theme of his life was self-discovery and growth. He came to see that the trials he went through contained the lessons he had to learn and pass a state of continual perfecting. As taught by Jesus in the New Testament and by mystical Judaism in the Kabala, Ira sought and eventually found, asked for and eventually received, the promised land. The latter years of his life were filled with an ever-increasing sense of peace, grace and awe. Ira was preceded in death by both of his parents, his wife and daughter Tracy Leigh Anderson and will forever be remembered with joy and sadness by his only brother, Roger Brookstone Levy Taunton, MA; his former sister-in-law Sandra Levy Natick, MA; son-in-law Avon Anderson Kooskia, ID; his grandchildren Joshua, Micah, Cassandra and Jessicah; his other daughter Kelly Rhae Woodinville and his grandpuppies Chelsea, Blaze, Kami, Blue and his only great-grandpuppy River; his brother-in-law Robin Jones and wife Kathy Kelso, WA; uncle Frank Bram Los Angeles and family; his cousins Thelma Goldstein and Carole Los Angeles and their families; his cousins-in-law Patsy Rohr, Sue Smith, Ernestine Golden Texas and their families; cousin-in-law Harry Alan Kinsfather Bloomfield, NM and family; and his many dear friends. Ira knew that when the time of his own passing came, his beloved companion - both during her life and after her death - Gloria would take him gently by the hand and lead him over to the other side. And she did.