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Author Rob Levandoski, a Pulitzer nominee, left job to be full-time writer
By David Giffels
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008
A dozen years ago, middle-aged Rob Levandoski left a structured, secure life to follow his dream of becoming a novelist. When he died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm and heart attack at age 59 Monday, he left a long trail of evidence of a successful re-invention — six books, including one released this spring, and a new film deal for one of his early novels.
Mr. Levandoski, a Medina County native who also wrote under the pen name C.R. Corwin, made liberal use of people and places in his native Northeast Ohio as literary material.
His second novel, Serendipity Green, was a thinly veiled satire of Medina, with a drawn-from-life library-censorship controversy and a town square decorated with a gazebo and quaint boutiques. The book was a breakthrough of sorts, drawing a flattering, full-length review from the New York Times, a rare occurrence for an unknown author. His next novel, 2002's Fresh Eggs, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Mr. Levandoski's more recent work, under the Corwin pen name, was a series called the ''Morgue Mama Mysteries.'' The three published novels, which follow the adventures of newspaper librarian Maddy Sprowls, are spiked with playful, barely masked local references, including a Stan Hywet-esque Tudor mansion dubbed ''Trawsfyndd Castle'' and other landmarks in the fictional ''Hannewa.''
Mr. Levandoski worked as a reporter for the Medina County Gazette, a public relations representative for Brunswick city schools and a trade magazine reporter before taking the gamble to become a full-time writer. In his fourth decade, he quit his job and moved to the nearly 200-year-old family farm, Big Brook Valley in Hinckley.
''This is a guy who had a dream. He took the hit and he did it,'' said longtime friend Ed Noga of Akron. ''At one time, he was writing in a trailer at his parents' farm. But he had a plan and he stuck with it.''
His first book, Going to Chicago, was published in 1997. Kirkus Reviews called it a ''whimsical, bittersweet debut.''
Mr. Levandoski, divorced from his first wife, Sue Knabe, met Akron Beacon Journal reporter Carol Biliczky at a Going to Chicago book release event. The two began a relationship and were married in 2003.
''It's so trite to say someone was wonderful, but he was so good to me,'' Biliczky said, adding that her husband helped her through the death of her sister Joyce and cooked meals for her aged parents every week. ''He was just a quality guy — you don't find that very often.''
Noga, like most of Mr. Levandoski's friends, showed up as fictionalized versions of themselves. He and other friends — including Beacon Journal reporter Carl Chancellor, cast as a murderer in a book in progress — described Mr. Levandoski as an especially generous colleague. He also taught continuing-education writing classes at the University of Akron.
''Not only was he a local writer who had a lot of success,'' said Noga, editor of Rubber & Plastics News, ''but he really supported other writers.''
Mr. Levandoski was preceded in death by his father, Clyde. He is survived by his wife, Carol; mother, Edna; brother, Don (Linda); ex-wife Sue Knabe, and daughters Kary Prince (Brian) of Akron and Jen Sperrazza (Charlie) of Cuyahoga Falls.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Waite & Son Funeral Home, 765 N. Court St., Medina. The service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Donations can be made to the University of Akron Foundation, Akron, OH 44325-2603, for a scholarship in Rob Levandoski's name.
David Giffels is a Beacon Journal columnist. He can be reached at 330-996-3572 or at dgiffels@thebeaconjournal.com.
A dozen years ago, middle-aged Rob Levandoski left a structured, secure life to follow his dream of becoming a novelist. When he died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm and heart attack at age 59 Monday, he left a long trail of evidence of a successful re-invention — six books, including one released this spring, and a new film deal for one of his early novels.
Get the full article here.
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