About the author

Ethel Pearson Levine, aged 101 years, died on January 25th, 2014, at her home in Clearwater, Florida. She was born December 12th, 1912, in Brooklyn, New York, to Rachel and Hyman Pearson. She was predeceased by siblings, Naomi, Nathan, Charles, Michael, Gladys, Seymour, and Bertram. She was married to Richard Levine on May 30th, 1936, until his death on October 10th, 1995. She graduated from Brooklyn College with her Bachelor’s degree in 1933 and received a Master’s degree from Bank Street School of Education. She worked as an elementary school teacher and guidance counselor until 1975. She was an avid handball player until the age of 50. At that point she began to pursue her passion for tennis and continued playing until the age of 95, after winning several tennis competitions. In addition, she loved word games and puzzles including Scrabble, Boggle, crosswords, and the daily jumble. She also participated in and then led a rap group in Sunrise, Florida, and wrote a column for the Sunrise Laker. She was an eternal optimist with boundless energy, patience, kindness, and tolerance.