Jay Levine-Goldberg died at home in Sebastopol following a brief illness. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jay was the younger of two sons born to Sol and Sarah Goldberg. Jay attended SUNY Binghamton and worked as a New York City cab driver before moving to San Francisco where he completed his BA degree in Physical Science and teaching credentials in math and science. He met the love of his life, Anita Levine, in 1977 playing on a co-ed softball team. Jay and Anita wed in 1979, combining their last names into one. Their first daughter, Rachel was born while Anita attended graduate school at UCSF. Jay completed his student teaching at Lowell High School in SF and was hired to teach math and science at Analy High in Sebastopol. Jay and Anita moved to Sonoma County, where their daughter, Leah was born. Jay taught at Analy for 37 years and became a legendary physics teacher, serving as science department chair for many years and earning numerous awards and accolades from students and colleagues alike. As thousands of young people who passed through his classroom can attest, Jay was a phenomenal instructor who touched the lives of a generation of Analy students, many of whom developed a love of science thanks to him. Both Rachel and Leah followed in his footsteps, becoming high school math teachers. Jay was a bit of a local celebrity who couldn't venture into town without running into adoring former students and thankful parents who credited him for instilling a love of science in their children. Several of his students became physics teachers and Jay continued to serve as their proud mentor. Although Jay officially retired in 2018, he wasn't ready to leave the classroom, and returned to teach a final semester at El Molino High. A lifelong learner with an insatiable curiosity about the world, Jay was a world traveler and voracious reader, and especially loved science fiction. He engaged all he met in animated conversations about science, religion, education, politics, or baseball, and always enjoyed a good debate. A passionate music lover, he taught himself to play guitar, ukulele, accordion, and piano. He loved nothing better than dancing with his beautiful Anita at concerts, festivals, and celebrations, right up to the month before his death. Jay was an avid bike rider, clocking thousands of miles on his daily commutes to school, and enjoyed hiking, camping, and working outdoors in his garden. Jay's passion for baseball and loyalty to his beloved SF Giants were legendary and he and Anita were long-time season ticket holders. Nothing defined Jay more than his tremendous love for his family; he glowed with pride in his daughters and grandchildren, frequently tearing up with gratitude at family gatherings. Jay adored hosting annual seder celebrations, where he and Anita kept their Jewish traditions alive and shared them with scores of non-Jewish friends, hosting spirited feasts in their home. In his final months, Jay mentored his grandson, Kazimir through his bar mitzvah preparation and was thrilled to participate in his bar mitzvah ceremony in November, where Jay danced a final time with his beloved wife and daughters. Jay is survived by his wife Anita, brother Joel, daughters Rachel (Jason) and Leah (Daniel), grandchildren Kazimir, Enzo, Weston, and Sierra and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A celebration of Jay's life will be held Sunday, January15 at 2:00 p.m. in the Analy High School gym