Norman L. Leventhal, motor-lodge owner and creator of program for the blind, dies at 90

Norman L. Leventhal, 90, of Warrington, a former motor-lodge owner and a volunteer who created a guide-dog program that has benefited 1,000 Israelis, died Sunday, Feb. 23, of complications from colitis in Abington Hospice at Warminster.

Along with his brother, Jack, and wife, Phyllis, Mr. Leventhal was the owner-operator of the Warrington Motor Lodge & Restaurant, which became a landmark after it opened on Route 611 in 1954.

The lodge, its banquet room, diner, and family restaurant welcomed travelers, many of whom became the Leventhals’ friends. "On several occasions, guests of the lodge would be invited home for dinner and quickly became part of the family,” the Leventhals told The Inquirer in 2016.

Though the lodge’s pitch of “free television, children’s playground, deluxe suites” is dated now, the facility was state-of-the-art in the 1950s and 1960s. It was the setting for local football banquets, weddings, and after-church gatherings until it was razed in 2004 to make way for the Shops at Valley Square, a mixed-use development. Phyllis Leventhal died in 2016, and Jack Leventhal died last October.

Born in Utica, N.Y., Mr. Leventhal attended the public schools there.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northeastern University. Afterward, he joined General Electric Co., where he was part of a three-member team that developed a process for honing man-made diamonds. Later, he earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

He met Phyllis Ruth Block on a blind date. Once he became aware that more than one suitor was vying for her hand, he proposed after just seven dates.

“Will you have five children with me?” he asked. She agreed, and the two married in 1953. As it turned out, they did raise five children; a son, Joey, died in infancy.

When Warrington needed a volunteer, Mr. Leventhal answered the call. During 14 years of civic work, he served first on the Warrington Township Planning Commission and then as chairman of the township’s municipal authority. He helped write zoning rules aimed at controlling rapid growth.

He was president of the PTA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County, Rotary Club of Warrington, and Congregation Tiferes B’Nai Israel. He was a member of the Warrington Township Lions Club, the Central Bucks County Chamber of Commerce, and the Warrington Township Historic Commission.

In the late 1970s, Mr. Leventhal joined an effort to persuade the Russian government to release Soviet Jews and allow them to move to Israel.

In the course of that project, he met Noach Braun, a young Israeli army dog trainer who wanted to start the Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind. There were no such schools in Israel, forcing handlers to go abroad. Mr. Leventhal studied dog training and organization-building. In 1986, the center opened, with branches in Israel and Warrington.

The Israeli center trains mostly Labrador retrievers. As president of the U.S. branch, Mr. Leventhal raised money and traveled four times a year to Israel. “He was the heart and soul of the organization,” said daughter Amy. “He made it happen.”

Since then, 1,000 Israelis who needed a guide dog have gotten one, training locally with the dog in their own language, which wasn’t possible before. “Lives have been changed with the assistance of Mr. Leventhal and man’s best friend,” his family said.

When not volunteering, he played racquetball with friends until his 90th birthday, his daughter said.

Besides his daughter, Mr. Leventhal is survived by children Frank, Michael, Jeffrey, and Steven, and eight grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Joseph Levine & Sons Funeral Home, 4737 E. Street Rd., Feasterville-Trevose. Burial is private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Israel Guide Dog Center, 968 Easton Rd., Suite H, Warrington, Pa. 18976.