Marie Christine Levine (nee Ferrara), 83, passed away after a short illness on Tuesday, May 14th, 2024. A native of Chicago, Ill., Marie called Princeton her home for over half a century. Raised going to Catholic school, including college, Marie moved to New York City in her early 20s to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. While there, she met Leonard Harold Levine, an OB-GYN, marrying in 1965, and she moved to East Windsor, NJ to start a family. She continued to raise her family and moved to Princeton in August 1973.
Marie was one of the first women to attain a SCUBA certification in 1969 and became a dive instructor. She would continue to promote shark conservation in publications, through photographs, and through scientific research. In the early 1980’s, she spent some time living in South Africa working for the Natal Sharks Board. Marie returned to the US in 1990 and started the Shark Research Institute a year later. SRI is dedicated to the conservation of sharks through scientific research and changing public perception through shark-based tourism. In the 1990s, Marie was inducted into The Explorer’s Club, and in 2001, was inducted into the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame. In addition, Marie enjoyed studying and diving shipwrecks off the coast of New Jersey.
Marie was a world traveler, having traveled to and written about almost every continent on earth. She frequently talked about far-flung places, collected data, or wrote about her experiences. She’s the author of several books, including “Shipwrecks & Rescues on the Coast of New Jersey 1875-1914: From the Annals of the U.S. Lifesaving Service and Contemporary Newspaper Accounts”, as well a book on the New Jersey coast, among others. Marie co-authored others and a number of papers. In 2010, Marie was invited by the government of Egypt to investigate a spate of high-profile shark attacks in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt.
Marie also compiled the Global Shark Attack File, the premier and most-complete record of shark attacks, containing records of attacks and incidents dating from 1845 to the present. She also fought mightily, and with a high degree of success, to protect sharks and other sealife at the international CITES conventions, held every 3 years.
She is preceded in death by her former husband, Leonard Harold Levine and her parents, Madeleine Teresa (Payette) Ferrara and Vincent Ernest Ferrara. She is survived by her sons, Lewis Jonathan Levine and his wife, the late Yvonne (Piatek) Levine, Brian Jeffrey Levine, Brad Joshua Levine and his wife, April Lynn (DeVault) Levine, and a daughter, Laura Nicole Levine Godfrey. Additionally, Marie is survived by her younger siblings, Raymond Ferrara, Bob Ferrara, Nicole (Ferrara) Hamer, and Genevieve (Ferrara) O’Connor. She is also survived by several grandchildren: Joshua and Ashley Levine, Christopher Levine, Julia Levine, the late Ryan Levine, Ezra Levine Godfrey, Madyson Levine Godfrey, and Harrison Levine Godfrey.
A service will be held at 10am-12 noon on June 1st, 2024, at the Mather Hodge Funeral Home, followed by burial at the Princeton Cemetery.
Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the American Lung Association.