DONALD MARCUSE

1936 - 2023

MARCUSE--Donald J. Donald J. Marcuse died peacefully on December 28, 2023 in his Manhattan home. He was born in New York City in 1936, and lived nearly 88 years of his fulfilling life here. He and his family also spent many summers in Vinalhaven, Maine. He was a Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst with a life-long passion for his profession, from which he retired at age 86. He loved living in New York City, where he avidly pursued his cultural interests in art and music. He was educated at the Horace Mann School, graduated summa cum laude in art history from Harvard University in 1957, and from medical school at the Columbia College of Physicians & Surgeons in 1961. He completed residencies in both Adult and Child Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he eventually became an Associate Clinical Professor. He served two years in the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, DC from 1966-1968, helping to pioneer the community mental health movement. He returned to New York City, graduated from the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, and began 54 years of private practice. Donald was beloved for his zest for life, integrity, decency, kindness, and for sharing his passions for art, music, travel, and food. He was not only a brilliant teacher, but that rarer thing: a wise human being. He is survived by his cherished wife, Julie, with whom he was joined in loving rapport for more than 48 years; by his close family of five extraordinary children: Kenneth, Tanya, Lara, Joshua, and Zoe, along with their spouses; by 11 wonderful grandchildren; by his beloved brother, Edgar, and his wife, Linda. His first wife and the mother of his first three children, Brigid Ways Marcuse, predeceased him in 2020. He will be missed by his family, friends, and many grateful patients. In lieu of flowers, please send a contribution to the Central Park Conservancy. A private Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, February 11 at 3pm at Riverside Chapel (180 W. 76th St., NY, NY).