A Life Story

Norman Ravitch, 89, of Savannah, passed away Thursday, July 16, 2026. He was born November 22, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, son of the late Louis Ravitch and Shirley Schwey Ravitch, and preceded in death by wife, Helen Lee Thornton Ravitch and a son Nicholas Ravitch. Survivors include a son, Michael Ravitch, a cousin, Elaine Berlinger of East Windsor, NJ, her son, Howard Berlinger of Naples, FL and her daughter, Ronli Merlis of Boston, MA. Mr. Ravitch was an academic scholar and graduated in 1953, at age 16, from Andrew Jackson High School in Queens, New York. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1957, from Queens College, City University of New York, and a master’s degree in 1959 and PhD, in 1962, from Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey. Norman was Dean of the University of California, Riverside, was also a professor of European History, and he was fluent in German and French. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church at 11:00, Wednesday. July 22, 2026. The committal will be at The Park Cemetery in Fort Gaines, Georgia at 1:00, Thursday, July 23, 2026.