Beryl J. Levine

1935 - 2022

Beryl J. Levine
November 8, 1935 - June 4, 2022
San Mateo
Beryl Joyce Levine (nee Choslovsky) died June 4, 2022, at her home in San Mateo, California. Beryl was born on November 9, 1935 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and at age 19, met Dr. Leonard Levine at a wedding. The couple fell in love, Beryl dropped out of college and they married three months later. They celebrated their 65th anniversary a few months before Leonard's passing in 2020. Beryl and Leonard settled in Fargo, North Dakota in 1964, where they lived for the next 32 years.
After Beryl gave birth to the couple's sixth child in 1966, she returned to college and earned her undergraduate degree. She then enrolled at the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1971 despite the dean's description of her as "a bored, spoiled and frivolous doctor's wife." Nonetheless, she persisted, driving 170 miles roundtrip each day from her home in Fargo. She graduated first in her class with numerous awards in 1974. She practiced at the prestigious Vogel Law Firm in Fargo until 1985, when she became the first woman appointed to the North Dakota Supreme Court, where she served proudly until her resignation in 1996. Following Beryl's retirement, she and Leonard moved to Palo Alto in 1996 and subsequently to San Mateo in 2017.
In 1996, Beryl was awarded the prestigious Margaret Brent Award, given by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession to honor outstanding women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women. In 2005, Beryl was awarded the Sioux Award, the highest honor given by the University of North Dakota Alumni Association & Foundation for achievement, service and loyalty.
Beryl had a thirst for knowledge and adventure, and was an avid reader. This led her to take many courses in her retirement and to travel around the world. At 70, she parasailed with her children and grandchildren. She reminisced often about vacations with the 22-member Levine family, an annual tradition she started as another example of her commitment to her family.
Beryl will be lovingly remembered for her generous spirit, her calm demeanor (both on and off the bench), her strong sense of ethics and always accurate moral compass, her loyalty and commitment to her family, friends and the legal profession, her keen intellect, her trailblazing career, and her warmth and grace. She made an enduring impression on everyone who was fortunate enough to know her.
Beryl is survived by her five children and their spouses: Susan Levine and Jim Lauer; Marc and Teri Levine; Sari Levine and Scott Thurm; William and Jill Levine; and David and Aviva Levine; and her ten grandchildren: Caitlin, Max, Matthew, Abby, Noah, Sonya, Clare, Lexi, Madelyn and Zachary. She is predeceased by her son, James ("Jamie"), who passed away in 1963 at the age of three months.
Donations in Beryl's memory can be made to the University of North Dakota School of Law, which Beryl recognized opened many doors for her and provided her with many opportunities, and as a result, an institution of which she was very proud and to which she was very grateful, at https://undalumni.org/Law2.


View the online memorial for Beryl J. Levine