Loving wife, loyal friend, respected therapist, and community leader Felise B. Levine died tragically August 10, 2023 from a series of heart attacks during her long-anticipated vacation in Maine with her beloved husband, John. For all who knew her, Felise’s dynamic personality, courageous leadership, and passion for public service made her deeply admired and unforgettable. She had recently celebrated her 74^th birthday.

Felise was born on May 7, 1949 in Brooklyn NY. At the age of 15, she was the first in her family to recognize that she had all the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes. Despite her lifelong struggle to control her diabetes, she developed kidney disease. When the disease reached its final stages, she started peritoneal dialysis with the same determination and skill that she approached any difficult challenge. For the last months, her former zest for life, vitality, and her infectious smile returned.

In spite of her health challenges, Felise finished Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn a year early. She graduated from CUNY Brooklyn College then obtained a Master’s degree from NYU. In her early twenties she was hired as the director of a new department of dance therapy at the University of Wisconsin.

The next big step was a move to California. In 1986, she began work on her PhD in Clinical Psychology under the direction of James L. Framo at USIU in San Diego. This included collaboration with Jim in the new field of family therapy and on a book with Jim and Tim Weber entitled: Coming Home Again: A Family-of-Origin Consultation. In 1986 she married Jim and began her own successful private practice, specializing in psychodynamic psychotherapy and couples/family therapy. With her phenomenal energy and motivation to expand her professional knowledge and skills, she began years of study at the San Diego Psychoanalytic Center, becoming a licensed psychoanalyst in 1996. During this time, she also became an active member of the San Diego Psychological Association (SDPA). 

After Jim’s death, Felise married John Goodkind, a physicist at UCSD, in 2005. Continuing to expand her public service, she served on the board of SDPA, becoming its president in 2016. A great honor most cherished by Felise was the award she received for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology from SDPA. She has served on the faculty of the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program at the SDPC and most recently was an active Board member. Felise retired from her practice in September 2020.

Continuing her public service, Felise became involved in Del Mar Community Connections (DMCC), a community organization dedicated to supporting seniors aging independently at home, and served on the board from 2014 until 2020, including as president in 2016. Her most recent community service was serving as board member of the Diabetes Research Connection, a charitable organization in Del Mar devoted to funding young investigators at the start of their careers as researchers in work to cure Type 1 Diabetes.

Felise is survived by her husband John Goodkind, her siblings Rona Steindler, Judy Caruso, and Marc Levine, her nieces and nephews Jennifer Stendler, Eric Stendler, Haley Caruso, Gilian Caruso, and Jordan Caruso.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, October 8. In lieu of flowers, Felise's family requests that donations be made in her memory to Diabetes Research Connection or Del Mar Community Connections.

Remembrance provided by John Goodkind and Sheila Sharpe.