Funeral Arrangements Announced For Bob Levy

TOMS RIVER, NJ - Anyone who wants to honor the late Bob Levy is welcome to come to his funeral service on Wednesday at the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals on St. Catherine Boulevard, according to WOBM.

The memorial gathering will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7. There will be a brief service conducted by the Navy at 6 p.m. Then WOBM's Kevin Williams will speak about Bob and invite others to come and share stories about him.

Williams will also join Jeremy Grunin on Sunday for a very special edition of Topic A, which will celebrate the life of 92.7 WOBM's patriarch. Listeners will be invited to call in to share their favorite memories of the longtime radio personality. There will also be a special half hour program airing at 6:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. which will feature the last interview Bob conducted before he died.

"Bob Levy was an icon in our industry but more than that, he was friend and confidant for the 39 years I have known him," Williams said. "He once told me that at some point when he's gone, nobody will care but I'll always believe that he chose today so every year on the radio station's anniversary, we can't forget him."

Topic A started in September 1979, inspired when Levy was on vacation in Florida and heard a talk radio show. The first few shows were at night, and then moved to Sunday mornings, where it has been a staple for 39 years. In recent years, Jeremy Grunin, executive director of the Grunin Foundation, joined him as co-host.

Levy and his wife, Marianne, also had a morning show for 18 years on WOBM-AM, but Bob ended that run 2015 when he entered into semi-retirement.

In 2012, Levy was inducted as a charter member into the New Jersey Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Levy is also a member of the Lakewood High School Hall of Fame, Williams said in the station's obituary on Levy, who had been in the hospital following a fall where he suffered broken ribs.

Levy is survived by his wife Marianne, daughter Karen, and son Steven.

Photo: Courtesy of WOBM