Dr. Beatrice Weinstein

Dr. Beatrice Weinstein of Canton, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 97 years of age. Daughter of the late Rebecca Pshedezky and Martin Friedman. Loving wife of the late Gene Weinstein who passed in 2019. Beloved mother of Bruce Weinstein and his wife Wendy, and the late Gail Ellen Weinstein. Cherished grandmother of Rachel Weinstein, Joseph Weinstein, Kayla (Weinstein) Wydra and her husband Ryan Wydra, and Hannah Shr Miller and her husband Charles Miller, and their three daughters, Gloria, Evelyn, and Alice. Sister of Cynthia Schwartz (deceased) and Eugene Friedman (deceased), and beloved aunt to Glenn Rubin, Roy Rubin, Karen Friedman-Hanna, Mark Friedman, Shelly Schwartz, Steven Schwartz and David Schwartz.

Beatrice was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 9,1927. Beatrice, known by her friends and family as Bea, was a tomboy growing up, playing punchball and ringalario. She also loved reading, jazz, drama and the arts, and these interests lasted her entire life. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a BS in Psychology, and followed her career passion of child psychiatry, as a school psychologist in the Oceanside Long Island school system.

During high school and college, she worked at jazz clubs and at summer camps, and it was at one summer camp, where she was the drama teacher, that she met the love of her life, Gene Weinstein. He was the camp lifeguard and water safety instructor, and he fell deeply in love with her. He proposed and on December 24th, 1951, they were married. Gene was her best friend, and in her words, the “sexiest man ever” for the 69 years they were married, until Gene’s passing at the age of 94. They welcomed two children together, Bruce in 1953 and Gail in 1955, and went on to have four grandchildren, and three great granddaughters.

Bea and Gene’s life included deep and close relationships with family on both sides, with shared vacations and holidays with the Rubins, Schwartz’s and Friedman’s. They were perfect partners, their personalities and attributes fitting like jigsaw puzzle pieces. This included on the tennis court, with Gene steady and error free in the backcourt, and Bea with a killer, ambidextrous net game. On the bridge table, they were tough to beat, Gene methodical and consistent, Bea, intuitive.

Bea’s professional career blossomed, and in 1971, she received her doctorate in Psychology at Hofstra and was deeply devoted to her private practice that centered around children and young adults. From 1996-1997 she served as President of the Society for Psychoanalytic Study and Research, and in 2015, she received one of a number of acknowledgements, including a recognition award from the Roslyn Public School System for her work in the Parent Child Program. Her entire life, after her clinical career started, saw her serve as a resource to countless people for behavioral health issues, and this continued well into her later 90’s. She loved understanding what others were going through and helping them through it. Over and over, people would say of Bea: “she cares.”

Her personal life was rich with family and deep meaningful friendships, and her internal life took no back seat. She read avidly and endlessly, from Proust, Chekov, Shakespeare, Updike, Russo, and Bellow, to her real passion, pulp fiction detective mysteries, devouring Marlow, Chandler, Hammett, Spillane (and on TV, Murder She Wrote and Colombo). Only her daughter Gail and granddaughter Rachel could beat her at scrabble (sometimes) and she completed the NY Times crossword puzzle every day. Word games continued through her entire life, with ongoing virtual scrabble and wordle. She loved great movies, Netflix series, Broadway shows and art. One of her favorite New York City treats was to visit the Museum of Modern Art. She privately wrote poetry, short stories, and snippets of a memoire of her life that she kept mostly to herself, and she was truly a woman of letters. She had an insatiable curiosity and an astute understanding of people, a true north compass, a sharp tongue and sharper wit, and would let you know where you stood, while also letting you feel she understood you, was able to walk in your shoes and not be judgmental.

In 2010, she lost her daughter Gail and that left an inconsolable grief for she and Gene, making her heart heavy for the rest of her life. Yet it never dampened her spirit, and those most close to her were able to see those brushes with sadness, but also her great courage, resilience, and remarkable spirit. Her capacity for joy was remarkable, most especially through her family and friendships. Her grandchildren and great granddaughters provided her with bottomless happiness.

In 2015, Bea and Gene sold their home in Roslyn where Bruce and Gail grew up, and moved to Orchard Cove in Canton, Massachusetts to be closer to family and began the last part of their lives. They never looked back, even as Bea held onto her NY friendships through real-life visits and zoom meetings, and that continued until the end of her life. To be Bea’s friend means truly knowing what a real friend is.

Bea became critically ill with advanced cancer in 2016, and not only survived but thrived. Orchard Cove and its’ wonderful community gave Bea and Gene amazing, loving, and unwavering support, and Bea in turn, gave every ounce of her being to Orchard Cove, chairing the Scholarship Committee with conviction and passion, and letting her presence be felt in so many ways. Most importantly, she maintained her insatiable curiosity and interest in the OC community, residents, staff and leaders alike. Her heart, soul and presence has been deeply felt by all of those whose paths she’s crossed, and who knew that Bea above all wanted to know you, what made you tick, to help in any way she could, and be open to whatever you were willing to share. At Orchard Cove, heartfelt thanks are too numerous to name, with special acknowledgments to Cat, Aline, Dr. Brinckerhoff, Tara, Lu, Anniela, Precious, and niece Karen.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Funeral Service on Friday, February 28, 2025, at 10 AM at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, 475 Washington Street, Canton. Burial will follow at Sharon Memorial Park, 40 Dedham Street, Sharon. Family will be holding shiva at Orchard Cove on Friday afternoon from 2 PM to 4 PM.

The service will be livestreamed at https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/c25029089802495

In lieu of flowers, donations in Beatrice’s name, may be made to the following: The Orchard Cove Scholarship Fund or to The Orchard Cove Enrichment Fund at 1 Del Pond Drive, Canton, MA 02021, or to the Gail E. Weinstein Fellowship in Community Literacy Education Scholarship at San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132, Attn: University Development (please see link below).