Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
When Joseph H. Levine, fourth generation leader of the Joseph Levine & Sons funeral home, passed away in 2015, his three sons knew that it was now up to them to continue the family legacy that their father had managed so well in his 31 years at the helm.
Not long after the patriarch’s passing, the Levine family came into an opportunity that felt like a sign. In his waning years, Joseph Levine noted to his sons that he wanted the business to expand into Montgomery County, between their current offices in Trevose and Broomall, at a site that he thought would be perfect and on which he had his mind set.
Unfortunately, conversations with the owner didn’t materialize, and Joseph passed soon after. Then, in 2018, the property went up on the market. For Levine and Sons, the chance to move to Blue Bell came out of the blue.
“I don’t know if it was divine intervention or what, but literally within days of [the property] becoming for sale we purchased it, knowing that that is what my father wanted,” son of Joseph and partner in the business Brian Levine said. “We knew we had to immediately capitalize on it.”
Now, more than a half decade later, the three Levine brothers are proud to have realized their father’s vision with the opening of the newest location on West Skippack Pike, which has been running smoothly since late 2021.
“It’s really the first of its kind in Montgomery County, as a standalone Jewish funeral home,” partner Adam Levine said. “It is the largest funeral home in Montgomery County, with a large parking lot, which is key for funeral homes. We have large screens that allow for the families to show different pictures while people are walking in.”
He said that one focus of the company when designing the site was an emphasis on modern technology. The Levines didn’t just want a good funeral home — they wanted a state-of-the-art one.
“Just the technology that we put into the building and the speaker systems and the music — it’s very warm; it’s comforting,” Adam said. “With the lighting that’s in there, everything has been geared around being an excellent delicate taste of compassion for everyone.”
Brian emphasized that while this expansion may hint at some serious ambition on the part of the Levine brothers, it is not going to be to the detriment of the customer.
“As we look toward the future, our goal is to expand more, and not to get larger, but to become more convenient for families we serve in the Delaware Valley. And I think that’s what’s most important,” he said.
Brian added that the business would, ideally, like to found a Levine-owned chapel to service the area, especially the families in the Delaware Valley that aren’t in the immediate vicinity of an area like Old York Road or Center City.
The Levine brothers are so dedicated to ensuring a future for their family business in part because of how extensive its past is. Brian, Adam, and Jonathon are three triplets who descend from many generations of funeral directors.
“The story tends to go that the last big pogrom in Russia was in 1882, and in 1883 my great-great-great-grandfather, Lewis, started the business. Then there was Joseph, who was his heir, then there was my grandfather Leonard and my father Joseph and now there are my brothers and me,” Adam said.
It would be easy to chalk up the triplets’ interest solely to preserving their family legacy and providing for their families, but the business is about so much more than that.
“The family legacy piece gently nudged me in this direction, but really, once I saw the business for what it was, it appealed to me greatly. Being a funeral director here in the Delaware Valley, you get to help families through a difficult time. I get to do something meaningful and important to the community,” Brian said.
He said that the additional layer of being surrounded by family every day makes what is otherwise an extremely taxing job a much more bearable one.
“To have family and longtime employees like we’ve had, as well as a wonderful and supportive staff like we’ve had, it makes my job more comforting for me, and I’m better able to do my job because of it,” Brian said.
Adam Levine said he thinks that being a funeral director has spurred him to work on benevolent causes in his free time. He is involved in Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that raises money for Jewish causes, a local synagogue, and more.
“As a funeral director, there are many things that you do in the community, but it’s not part of the job; it’s part of my lifestyle,” he said.
With another location in the Philadelphia area, the Joseph Levine & Sons funeral homes are as cemented in the Delaware Valley as they ever have been. Adam Levine said that this love for the business has forged lifelong connections as they have been able to offer some comfort in the face of people’s misery. Now, the brothers will look to continue the legacy of half a dozen generations before them and serve the place they call home.
“We now, currently, are three triplets who run the business together, and we have been and want to be active and do well within the community, and be a part of the community and contribute as much as we possibly can,” he said.