Dennis Levy

[Chris F]

He lived his dream on his terms. He did what most men would never dream of doing in their lives .
RIP Dennis

[Dan Las Vegas]

I just got off a flight from New york and saw the news and I'm stunned,  RIP Dennis Levy
הזיכרון עשוי להיות ברכה
Dan Las Vegas

[zack]

I am shocked and deeply troubled by this. I send my thoughts, prayers, and sincere condolences to his wife, family, and friends.


Zack

[Bob_S]

He was an adventurer and one that LIVED LIFE FULL.  I think he lived more in his last 3 years than most men live in 3 life times.

Very true.  Both to his credit and as a sad commentary on the modern western male that's willing to settle for so much less.

[aconcepts]

That is why you have to go for it. Just do it. There is genius in boldness.


Research, place your bet, put one foot in front of the other and see where your body follows. Break some nails, chip some teeth, cause you never know when the fat lady is gonna sing.


When I feel that I am not where I want to be because I told someone I would do what I don't want to do I am not mad because I am doing it, I am mad because I did not set it up so when i was doing it I wanted to be doing it. The art of living is: wanting to do the things you have to do! Which leads to having to do the things you want to do!  I said that!


Live Live Live! Cuz you never know when you are going to die.


So don't run down there and grab one, rather walk down there and grab em all!


Some of you know what I mean...

[Dan Las Vegas]

no matter what your personal differences with  Dennis Levy, at least he had the guts to get on a plane and live his dream for the past three years, which is far more than most.  I thought that this quote was quite apt.
"Here's to the Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore
them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them
as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world - are the ones who DO!"
~ Apple Computer ~
Vaya con dios Dennis, a little  bit of all of our dreams died with you.

[dtibbet]

Wow, very sadden by this news. A friend in Bogota told me he read on the net. I did not know Dennis, other than him writing  a few helpful things on my post. I also, enjoy reading the many post he offered us on this site .Rest in peace!

[CeeTeeEnn]

We may have had our differences but this news has left me feeling utterly appalled. RIP Dennis Levy.

[V_Man]

I'm shocked! I just got back from my second trip to Colombia to read this very sad news. I never met Dennis in person but we always got along well on this site. I found his posts very informative. He offered to help me personally if we ever met in person which was most generous. I never took him up on his kind offer simply because I didn't need his help. However it is an example that he was generous and helpful to many.
RIP

[aconcepts]

Excellent post Dan... I count myself as one of the crazy ones...


here is a an appropriate quote from the series Kung Fu - "You honor dead Buddhas, but why do you not honor live ones?"
- Kwai Chan Cain

[charlie640]

I heard from a friend of my Novia in BOG that there was a different version told on the BOG TV news, and it was less than complementry.  Did anyone based in COL hear anything about that?  Personally I think it is BS, an attempt to put the blame on the gringo. The real story will only be known after they arrest the killers.   
 
Was also told that there is a new law that will first take effect in BOG that will take away all privately owned legal guns.  Unless they also institute a mandatory 20 year sentence for violators this wont do a damn thing.  I think the NRA should open a branch office in COL.

[Cherub]

Hello,
I'm new on this forum and this is my first post.
I have joined the forum and am posting to refute the drivel that has been perpetrated on us by someone pretending to be one of Dennis' two ex-wives.
I have lived in Colombia 3 years and have known Dennis Levy for two years both on line and personally. He visited my home several times and we've chatted frequently online and by phone. My wife and children think the world of him, not because he's so "charming and beguiling" as promoted by the letter, but because he was a very pleasant and friendly man and he had very good stories to tell about his travels throughout Latin America. His Spanish was very good for a gringo and his twinkling blue eyes and lop sided grin and his command of the language and good intellect made him a good story teller. We all enjoyed listening to him.
He was gainfully employed all of his life until he sold his cedar products dealership in 2007-2008. He was a member of the Mormon Church for 25 years and both of his ex-wives and his one son by his first marriage are Mormons. During his time with the Mormon Church he served as a Bishop for several years. The person who posted the "letter" used the name of Dennis's first wife by mistake or by intention, who knows. Dennis was married to her for 18 years. Incidentally, he was married much longer than 2 months to his second wife, for whatever that is worth.
I've sat for several hours at a time talking with Dennis and I am confident that he was not ADHD. He had a lot of interests and a very quick mind, but he could stick to a topic until he would bore the crap out of you if you weren't all that interested in it to begin with. 
Dennis was frugal but not a cheapskate. He never hesitated to pick up the tab when he and I were out somewhere. He especially enjoyed coffee and pan de queso, provided the coffee was strong and the pan was fresh and hot.
He was on a limited budget and would walk a mile to the bus stop carrying three suitcases rather than pay a taxi 5000 pesos.  He stayed in hostels because they were cheap but he always insisted they be clean and comfortable and safe. He abhorred the idea of paying for an expensive hotel.
Dennis was a seasoned traveler, probably more widely traveled than most, if not all, of his detractors on these Colombian forums. The list of towns and cities he visited in Latin America would fill a whole page.
The idea that he would put himself in danger to save a few pesos is ludicrous. He was one of the most safety conscious gringos I've met since I've lived here. It was rumored that he carried huge sums of money but, in fact he  would never carry 10,000,000 pesos on his person without first going to a police station and asking for an escort. That's what he advised me to do if i was ever to withdraw large sums from an ATM and I know other gringos who have done it that way at times.
Dennis carried a typical bifold imitation leather wallet that would probably hold 400,000 pesos comfortably and that is the amount you get from most ATMs in this country; the exception being Davivienda for 720,000 and Servibanca for 780,000. If you want to you can withdraw up to 1,000,000 each day at Bancolombia by doing two 400,000 withdrawals and one 200,000 withdrawall, keeping in mind that the ATM charge applies separately to each of the 3 transactions.
Dennis and Gloria have been a romantic item for two years. During that time he continued to travel in Ecuador and Peru but during the last few months he actually stopped dating women and spent a lot of time thinking about whether to commit to a marriage with Gloria. At one time Dennis was thinking about doing a Conjugal Visa but he gave up the idea when it began to look like he would marry Gloria. BTW, Gloria was not the woman involved at the time Dennis was considering the Conjugal Visa.
While he was living in Peru before returning to Medellin to marry Gloria he would chat with me about his feelings for Gloria and about the conflicts he felt between wanting to marry her and wanting to remain free to travel and live as he had been doing. I like to think that the advice and counsel I gave him over that several months contributed to his eventual decision to return to Colombia and marry Gloria. Dennis in turn was very willing to talk with me for hours about any challenges or concerns I was having in my own inter-cultural marriage.
Gloria had her own place that was not adequate for the two of them so they found a new apartment to rent together. They planned to move into the new apartment when they returned from Bogota. Their financial arrangement was very straightforward. They agreed to split living expenses 50-50. My guess is that each would have to pay about 1,500,000 monthly for the middle class lifestyle they both enjoyed.
They were staying at the hostel the night he died because they were planning to leave early the next morning for the trip to Bogota so Dennis could apply for his Spousal Visa. Any money he had on him would have been sufficient for that trip so I'm guessing he had less than 1,000,000 pesos on him or in his luggage.
Dennis always distributed money so that he would have a small wad to hand over if a robbery ever happened to him. I follow his advice and split my money three ways; 1/3 in my left pocket or sock cuff, 1/3 in my right pocket or sock cuff and 1/3 in my wallet or left rear pocket. The wallet is worth about 10,000 pesos and I would freely give it up with all its contents if a gun or knife was pointed at me by an assailant AND SO WOULD DENNIS. He would have also been very willing to part with his watch, a cheap Timex with a faux black leather band. Dennis and I both carry color copies of our passports and visas in our wallets rather than carry the real deal in the event of it being lost, stolen or taken.
Denise was 58 (he would be 59 on May 14). He dated all over Colombia and his demographic was 35 to 55 year old women without children or with grown children. He did not chase teenagers and was always a bit annoyed when some gorgeous young 20-something would want to chat him up online. He was not the least bit interested in trading money for a sexy romp with someone half his age.
He usually met women on one of the dating sites like Colombian Cupid and would chat with them online and then on Skype so he could use the web cam. He was very careful not to hookup with women who appeared to be stupid and uneducated or with those who seemed to have some ulterior motive. He was very good at weeding out the women that were not right for him.
If he felt there was a mutual chemical attraction online and on video cam with a woman he would plan to visit her city and meet her. He made it very clear to women that if the attraction was not there during their first meeting for coffee then the arrangement would end right there.
Dennis boasted to me one time that he had met almost 300 women for coffee over a 3 year period, but he wound up having a relationship with only a fraction of them. I agree that 300 first dates over a 3 year time frame is a lot by American standards, but here in Colombia you could meet that many in a few weeks if you were a hustler.
His frugality pertained to "first dates" too. He had a personal rule not to spend more than 50,000 for a first date and most of them were more like 5,000 to 10,000. If the chemistry wasn't there and the relationship did not happen then he just called his first date a fun lunch or dinner and let it go at that.
Quite frankly we will never ever know the full truth about how and why he died. I have read so many rumors. One said he was stealing something from someone and they shot him. Another said he was in his room and three people forced their way in and he was shot during the scuffle. Another said he was on the Internet at the reception area in the hotel and three people robbed the hotel and were beating the girl at the desk and he intervened on her behalf. One report said he was shot in the stomach, another said in the chest and another said in the thorax. One report said he was shot once, other reports said he was shot twice.
The time of death was shortly after midnight according to the police interview on Fox News. Dennis' last post on one of the Colombian forums was just a few minutes before midnight. So, my guess is he actually was online at the time of his death and since he did not carry his laptop with him (for fear it would be stolen) I am willing to believe that he actually was using the computer at the hotel.
Everything is speculation and most of what has been written in the negative about Dennis has been written by people who have an axe to grind, either with Dennis or with the forum they are posting on or with life in general.
Dennis was well over 6 feet tall and close to 300 pounds. He could be very intimidating and aggressive in his own right. He was not apt to back down from an argument and he had a tendency to always want to be right. So, it may be entirely true that he fought with his assailants, either in self defense or in defense of the girl.
Maybe he was even protecting Gloria from the assailants. She was with him when he died. She was able to get him to the medical clinic only a few blocks away but not in time.
My hope is that Gloria will eventually write down the whole story and post it online so the naysayers can know the story from her perspective. She is a good woman of good family with a good financial position. She truly cares for Dennis and was not in any way, shape, form or fashion setting him up to rip him off. If she wanted to rip him off she would have shown her colors way back in the beginning of the relationship.
So, I hope I have put some rumors to rest and I hope I have made a point that Dennis had some faults, just as the rest of us do. He was a good man and he had a lot of friends here and in the US who will miss him. Even now a week later I just today had a thought about something that I would like to have emailed him a question, but it's not possible to get advice from him anymore. Rest in peace Dennis and Good Luck to Gloria.
Cherub

[whitey]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed post, Cherub.


This sounds exactly like the Dennis I met briefly in real life (just 1 hour over coffee), and over his many posts and a few emails.


I hope Gloria will one day be able to tell us a little more about what actually transpired when he was shot.


It's not going to be the same around here without him.

[Ray]

I have joined the forum and am posting to refute the drivel that has been perpetrated on us by someone pretending to be one of Dennis' two ex-wives.

Huh?
 
I'm sorry, but which "drivel" are you speaking of?
 
Did I miss something? I don't recall reading any posts by someone claiming to be his ex-wife...??
 
 
Ray
 
 

[charlie640]

Thank you Cherub, that is the Dennis that I knew as well.  We will all miss him dearly.


The post from the alleged ex-wife  occurred on Gringos.com and was deleted.

[fathertime]

It almost looks like you made this post in order to start a disagreement.  I will post 3 statements that are very different than the ones dennislevy made to us.  , What you say is not inaccurate because I say it is inaccurate, but because they are opposite of what dennislevy said. 
 
Very recently, dennislevy told the forum that a conversation DID take place between his final wife and himself about a visa based on conjuntal visits.  He said he told his wife that it wouldn’t be right and it would be breaking the law.    Now you are saying that conversation took place with another woman.  I've provided several quotes to back up what DENNIS said, and refute the statements you just made,
 1. about his size, 2. the duration of his second marriage, 3. the conversations regarding conjugal visa's occurring with his wife, NOT another woman. 

  Incidentally, he was married much longer than 2 months to his second wife, for whatever that is worth.
   . At one time Dennis was thinking about doing a Conjugal Visa but he gave up the idea when it began to look like he would marry Gloria. BTW, Gloria was not the woman involved at the time Dennis was considering the Conjugal Visa.
 
Dennis was well over 6 feet tall and close to 300 pounds. He could be very intimidating and aggressive in his own right. He was not apt to back 
Cherub

Single father:

i enjoyed talking with you a couple of nights ago, I talked with Rocky last night and he said that he had just gotten off the phone with you.  You're a good guy, a really good guy and you know that you need to move on.  All of us on the board have been there (the crushing death of a beloved wife,like you, a marriage that lasted 62 days--and 14 hours, "if you count the loose change" like me).  I can't imagine the grief that you have felt afte rlosing your wife. 

It took me a year to get over my last American marital venture and I'm getting on the plane on January 16.  There was something I did that moved me from depressed to happy, i bought non refundable plane tickets!  Even if you go this summer,let me suggest you buy the tickets now.  Jamie's agency in Baranquilla or Bogota, put them in a hat and pick one, there is no perfect choice, but if you analyze this 40 ways to the ace (like a lot of guys do) it gets harder and harder to get on the plane.

Go for it!

Regards
Dennis   

Gents:

Thank you for all the advice, some of it was thoughtful and some of it was rather funny. I liked the list that singlefather sent and I particularly want to thank Sean for his thoughtful comments.

I am what Fathertime described as an older decent guy, 54, bald as an egg, 5'10 235 with a friendly face and a lot of experience with American girls when I was younger, but not very much in the last 25 years, 22 1/2 of them in a first marriage. 

Of the last 40 months, I've spent 38 of them as a single man (I'm recovering from a 2006  marriage of 62 days and 14 hours (if you count the loose change) to an American woman. She paid for the divorce and she didn't want anything, just to be free, and it was my fault, while we dated, there were enough red flags for a May Day parade at the Kremlin, I just didn't understand how "complex" her pathology was (until well after it was over) I was just too much in love. 

I'm going to Bogota in mid January for three weeks, looking between 36 and 52 and they have to have a full time job, to make my list for possible first citas. The LLM agency sales man (Jim Southard, a guy some of you may you know) says he'll look out for me, make sure I don't date any sharks.   He's had nothing but good things to say about the women I'm corresponding with so far--and I told him that if I even looked interested in any woman under 36 (and I think that is still way too young for me) he was allowed to "pick me up by my ankes and smack my head against the wall."

I am concerned about the language barrier, and I've got three months of studying conversational Spanish every night under my belt. We'll see what happens.

If anyone wants to add anything to this thread, go ahead. Thanks again to all the guys on the board who wrote. I'll try to post trip reports as often as possible, if anyone wants to talk with me while I'm there (1/16-2/6), just say so on the PL latin board, leave a telephone number where I can call you, the agency gives free calls to the US.

Vaya con dios, caballeros!

Dennis     

Once again, she NEVER asked me to pay for a false conjugal visa....Last summer she offered one without charge because she wanted to keep me in Colombia.


The story about me wanting to pay her for a false visa was  concocted by a cyber wing nut who had been banned and then was posted by the other guy.....who so frequently is assumed to be your.....clone.....


jejejeje


When I explained to her the consequences of a false conjugal visa, she understood it wasn t the right thing to do. And I wasnt ready to live with her and to make the commitment for a real visa.


I left Colombia for Ecuador and Peru, we  chatted almost every day for close to seven months and when I came back, I loved her as much as she had always loved me.


And we are now married.


As far as I know, sometimes people are banned with all their information showing but they are unable to post or send PMs, and other board members are not aware that that person has been banned.

How can you explain the discrepancy between what you are say now and what dennislevy was saying when he was alive?  It calls into question a lot of the other things you said about him being a Bishop and whatnot.  With all due respect, are you sure you are not another poster, just yanking chains, like 1/2 the other 'new' posters I've seen suddenly emerge on other forums.  I mean you gotta understand you posted a lot of stuff that Dennislevy never said, implied, or maybe would even agree to.  The nice stuff you said was very nice though and I tend to believe he was a fairly nice person to meet in person.




Fathertime! 

[Fuzzyone]

It almost looks like you made this post in order to start a disagreement.  I will post 3 statements that are very different than the ones dennislevy made to us.  , What you say is not inaccurate because I say it is inaccurate, but because they are opposite of what dennislevy said. 
 
Very recently, dennislevy told the forum that a conversation DID take place between his final wife and himself about a visa based on conjuntal visits.  He said he told his wife that it wouldn’t be right and it would be breaking the law.    Now you are saying that conversation took place with another woman.  I've provided several quotes to back up what DENNIS said, and refute the statements you just made,
 1. about his size, 2. the duration of his second marriage, 3. the conversations regarding conjugal visa's occurring with his wife, NOT another woman. 




 
 

 


How can you explain the discrepancy between what you are say now and what dennislevy was saying when he was alive?  It calls into question a lot of the other things you said about him being a Bishop and whatnot.  With all due respect, are you sure you are not another poster, just yanking chains, like 1/2 the other 'new' posters I've seen suddenly emerge on other forums.  I mean you gotta understand you posted a lot of stuff that Dennislevy never said, implied, or maybe would even agree to.  The nice stuff you said was very nice though and I tend to believe he was a fairly nice person to meet in person.




Fathertime!

  I think that we are going to have guys popping up here posting B.S. for some time to come. I think it is important to remember some guys just want to yank our chains and get us fighting over nothing. I mean Bishop really WOW counting he never repeat Never told anyone here that counting D.L. was so up front about everything.

[Ray]

The post from the alleged ex-wife  occurred on Gringos.com and was deleted.

 
Oh, I see.
 
But if the "drivel" was posted on another forum, then why is he replying here??
 
 
Ray
 
 

[Bob_S]

Huh?
I'm sorry, but which "drivel" are you speaking of?
Did I miss something? I don't recall reading any posts by someone claiming to be his ex-wife...??

It looks like a cut and paste from an argument on another forum.  I'm not arguing with the meat of Cherub's comment, but a little pre-editting before they hit the "Post" button would have been value-added effort.

[saleens7tt]

Just got the news about dennis levy. He was a "wealth of knowledge" to me when I joined pl last year...always respectful, always answering any questions I asked him. RIP MR DENNIS LEVY...I wish we coulda met.

[MariaJBueno]

WOW I heard the news real sad.. Why can you gringos just give up the wallet?? it is not the first time!!
I am not sure if you heard or remember of a similar story about 2 years ago here in Barranquilla the guy did not give up a laptop and got killed in front of his home..
And not long ago another guyr from NY got killed in his home in a beach town near Barranquilla the men came into his home and he opposed the thugs. Got killed right in front of his wife...
SAD REAL SAD..

[htown]

Why can you gringos just give up the wallet??

Why can't you colombians quit stealing!!??  Get a freaking job and earn an honest living!! 


I should be in Colombia sometime this year and I will be purchasing a gun and carrying it with me when I'm in the streets.  I'll be praying to jesus christ himself that some scumbag tries to rob me so I can LIGHT HIS ASS UP!  Now I'm not stupid, if the robber catches me off guard and gets the upper-hand, I'll give up my wallet.  But if I get just a split-second of opportunity I will not hesitate to unload a whole clip and put his down permanently.

[Ray]

Why can't you gringos just give up the wallet??

Why can't you colombians quit stealing!!??  Get a freaking job and earn an honest living!! 

   
EXCELLENT REPLY!         This gringo owes you a beer for that one!   ROFLMGDAO!         Ray     
 

[MariaJBueno]

What htown you got offended because I said gringo??
Get a job? There are people who steal in every part of the world.. everywhere and everyday....Even in THE GOOD USA!!! ( breaking news for you right?) . where people do far worse things while working a 9 to 5.. 
You are very much welcome to never come back or visit if that is your take on ALL Colombians..
So with your type of Narrow  thinking I must ASSume that just because some Americans walk into schools and theaters with the sole intention of killing dozens of innocent people even children.. I need to state that ALL Americans are crazy killers?
And since we are at it .. might as well stay away from the middle east because they are all terrorist and might get kidnapped, don't go to the Amazon or Africa because they are all cannibals and might eat you alive... Don't dare to visit India because it stinks and you will get sick ..Don't go to Japan because they have a lot of Ninjas and they may assassin you... Hell stay home .. but back home you can't find what you find here among all the jobless Colombian thieves a good loving wife...right??

It is that Chuck Norris attitude that has gotten killed every Gringo I have ever heard news about.. I am real sorry Denny's died. . Guess what I had a loved one killed trying to protect her children .... so I am not being a jerk like you when I SAY give it up..
I tell every person I know even Colombians life is by far worth more than any laptop, phone or cash.. Peace I guess I did not miss much while I was not coming to this forum..

So enjoy the beer guys which most likely would be at a Colombian bar.. And Sorry for the Typo I CAN´T Believe I missed that...

[Ray]

What htown you got offended because I said gringo??
Get a job? There are people who steal in every part of the world.. everywhere and everyday....Even in THE GOOD USA!!! ( breaking news for you right?) . where people do far worse things while working a 9 to 5.. 
You are very much welcome to never come back or visit if that is your take on ALL Colombians..
So with your type of Narrow  thinking I must ASSume that just because some Americans walk into schools and theaters with the sole intention of killing dozens of innocent people even children.. I need to state that ALL Americans are crazy killers?
And since we are at it .. might as well stay away from the middle east because they are all terrorist and might get kidnapped, don't go to the Amazon or Africa because they are all cannibals and might eat you alive... Don't dare to visit India because it stinks and you will get sick ..Don't go to Japan because they have a lot of Ninjas and they may assassin you... Hell stay home .. but back home you can't find what you find here among all the jobless Colombian thieves a good loving wife...right??

It is that Chuck Norris attitude that has gotten killed every Gringo I have ever heard news about.. I am real sorry Denny's died. . Guess what I had a loved one killed trying to protect her children .... so I am not being a jerk like you when I SAY give it up..
I tell every person I know even Colombians life is by far worth more than any laptop, phone or cash.. Peace I guess I did not miss much while I was not coming to this forum..

So enjoy the beer guys which most likely would be at a Colombian bar.. And Sorry for the Typo I CAN´T Believe I missed that...

 
It sounds like YOU are the one who is a little confused there Maria.
 
To attempt to put the blame on Americans for failing to cooperate with YOUR thieves is just plain stupid IMHO...
 
 
 
 
Ray