Denalyn (Dena) Osborne Levy, 58, enveloped by her loving family and numerous friends, passed into life eternal on June 20, 2017, after a courageous 30-year battle with Neuroendocrine (Carcinoid) cancer. Born Nov. 10, 1958, in Florence, Alabama the eldest of four children of Shelia and Jordan Osborne, she graduated from Bradshaw High School in Florence in 1976. She then earned her Bachelor of Science – Nursing from the University of North Alabama in 1980 where she was also a UNA Golden Girl Ambassador and member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Her nursing career included critical care and post anesthesia certification and took her to Baptist Memorial Hospital and the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis, Tennessee and Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia, North Carolina. The bubbly personality, blond hair, and sparkling blue eyes captivated the heart of a then surgical resident in 1983, and after a four year courtship they married and moved to Gastonia, North Carolina.
After starting a family they moved to Atlanta. Dena became a fixture of the Atlanta Speech School after her son, Matthew, was found to be hearing impaired. There she championed the transition from analog to digital processing hearing aids for children and advocated for mandatory hearing tests for newborns in the state of Georgia (now law). She was active in the Junior League of Atlanta, serving on the board of directors, and was in charge of volunteer placement services. A devoted and fiercely protective mother, she was an excellent cook and a had wicked sense of humor. She loved gardening, reading, dancing, and beach vacations.
Unknown to many, she was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine (Carcinoid) cancer just five weeks prior to her wedding and was told soon after she had only a five year life expectancy. She refused to accept this dismal prognosis, and not only survived defying the experts, but thrived. She never allowed her disease to define her, and few realized she was ever sick until near the end. She gave birth to two beautiful children, her greatest achievements, and became an inspiration to her doctors in Nashville, New Orleans, and Denver at these neuroendocrine centers as well as countless patients who came in contact with her on the N.E.T. chat rooms devoted to Neuroendocrine cancer. Sadly, her disease gradually advanced, and after a 30-year battle she retired to a peaceful pain free sleep.
She is survived by her husband, Dr. Alan Levy; daughter, Tessa, of McDonough; and son, Matthew, of Washington, D.C.; parents, Shelia and Jordan Osborne, of Florence, Alabama; brothers, of Terry (Beth), of Daphne, Alabama, and Michael, of Muscle Shoals, Alabama; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her sister, Sandra Osborne; paternal grandparents, Elbert and Willodyne Osborne; and maternal grandparents, Charles and Rosalyn Moore.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, 2017, at Glen Haven Baptist Church in McDonough. The family will receive friends Saturday, June 24, 2017, from 4-6 p.m. at the Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors. Interment will take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27, 2017, at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions sent to the Healing NET Foundation or the Atlanta Speech School. Arrangements for a memorial service in Florence are incomplete at this time. Those who wish may sign the online guest registry at cannonclevelandfunerals.com.
Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors, 770-914-1414.
