MIRIAM EVELYN LEVITT KRANTZ Obituary (1923 - 2018)

Miriam Evelyn Levitt Krantz, 95, of Overland Park, Kansas passed away peacefully August 30, 2018. Miriam was born in Des Moines, Iowa on August 18, 1923 to Morris and Sara Levitt. She spoke with great respect for her immigrant parents and the hardships the family endured and observed during the Great Depression. After the deaths of her parents while a teenager, she lived with family in Minneapolis briefly and then attended the University of Iowa, where she earned a Master’s degree in the new field of Speech Pathology and Audiology in 1947. Miriam followed her brother Julian Levitt to Kansas City in 1947. She started work that year at the University of Kansas Medical Center as their first audiologist. After marriage and childrearing, she returned as an instructor to the KUMC Department of Speech and Hearing from 1968 until her retirement in 1988. She mentored graduate students and directed the Parent-Home Center, a family-centered program to optimize the development of young hearing-impaired children. Miriam met her beloved husband, Harry Krantz, at a dance at the Jewish Community Center and they married in March,1952. They were blessed with 48 years of marriage. She was immersed in the life of Beth Shalom Synagogue, having served on its Board of Directors and as a co-chair of the religious school. She was active for many years in organizations in the Kansas City area that supported the needs of children with developmental disabilities. Miriam enjoyed the last 2 1/2 years of her life at Village Shalom, where she felt a part of a rewarding community. She was grateful for the wonderful care she received there. Miriam was preceded in death by her husband Harry and daughter Sara. She leaves her children Dr. Anne Krantz of Chicago, David Krantz (Lisa Pemstein), and Rachel Krantz (Edward Goldstein) of Leawood. She is also survived by grandchildren Sharon and Ellen Makowsky, Isaac and Michael Krantz-Perlman, and Maya and Hannah Krantz, nephews Mike Lee and Bob Levitt, and Bryan and Roger Krantz. The family requests no flowers and suggests donations in memory of Miriam to be made to Congregation Beth Shalom, Village Shalom, or the charity of your choice. Funeral services will be held at Noon, Sunday, September 2, 2018 at The Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Ave, Kansas City, MO. Burial to follow at Mt. Carmel Cemetery.