Seattleite celebrates 103rd birthday in Ballard

Robert “Bob” Levy is celebrating a big birthday – 103. As a centenarian, he’s quite the character to talk to.

Sitting in the garden at Picolinos (6415 32nd Ave NW), under the shade of the tent, with a heater turned on, Levy sits in a large, plush chair taking it all in. I ask what he’s celebrating today. “I haven’t decided yet,” he says, “But they’re all celebrating my birthday.”

Friends and family gathered in Ballard to celebrate Levy, a lifetime Seattleite, who was born on the courthouse steps downtown – back in 1908 it was a hospital. He was taken home by a horse-drawn buggy, to give you a little perspective to what exactly 103 means. He was raised in Seattle and went to Broadway High School on Capitol Hill from 1923 to 1927.

“I have a law degree from University of Washington and a law degree from Ol’ Miss,” he says. “Why did you go to two law schools?” I ask. “Why did I go to both? Because I couldn’t find a third one,” he joked. And he’s still practicing, Levy says, “I’m not retired yet. That was your idea, not mine. I’m not retired.”

He studied law in Europe and has had a brush with death. Back in 1924, Levy fell down an elevator shaft and survived. Around the same time, another man fell and didn’t survive, Levy says, as I page through a scrap book of newspaper clippings, documents and certificates that he’s collected over the years.

I ask what the secret to his longevity is, many people don’t live to see 100. “There’s no secret to it,” he says, “It just comes with time, I guess. I don’t think there’s any formula.”