Antonia Meltzoff

Dr. Antonia Meltzoff, of La Jolla, died at home on August 20, 2020, after a long and fierce fight against cancer. Antonia was born August 14, 1939, in New York City, the oldest child of Samuel Ratensky and Francis Elizabeth Keene. Her mother joined the Resistance in Italy during WWII. Her father was one of the monument men in WWII and an influential architect and city planner responsible for much of the New York City’s public housing and urban renewal from 1946 until his death. A 1960 graduate of Bard College, Antonia was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study literature in Italy in 1960-61. She earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from New York University in 1977. Antonia and Mark Strand, the late Poet Laureate of the United States, were married for 12 years before divorcing. They lived in Italy, Brazil, and New York City, and were the parents of one child, Jessica Strand. She married Dr. Julian Meltzoff in 1976. The couple lived in New York, and Florence, Italy, before settling in La Jolla, California in 1978, where she had a private clinical practice for almost 40 years. She served as a staff psychologist and clinical supervisor at Mercy Hospital and was an adjunct faculty member at USIU and SDSU. Dr. Meltzoff also served on the board of the Preuss School, was a Fellow of the San Diego Psychological Association, and a member in APA, CPA, and the Western Psychological Association. Antonia was truly a Renaissance Woman; she was an avid participant in the worlds of literature, music, dance, and architecture as well as the visual and culinary arts. She was a multilingual world-traveller who was generous and attentive to the needs of others. Wherever she went, people told her their personal stories and found that she was a deep and compassionate listener. Survivors include her daughter, Jessica Strand of Los Angeles; a grandson, Lucian Tseckares; her brother, Alex Ratensky and his wife Martha Sherman; her half-brother, Luca Valentino; step-children, Andrew Meltzoff and his wife Patricia Kuhl, and Nancy Meltzoff and her husband James Volkman; four step-grandchildren (Kim, Adam, Jesse, Katherine); five great-grandchildren; and many dear friends. She is preceded in death by her husband, Julian Meltzoff, her parents, and her half-brother, Adriano Valentino.

A Celebration of her Life will be held on the anniversary of her birthday, August 14, 2021.