Pearl Zelda Halperin Levine

Pearl Zelda Halperin Levine, age 98, died overnight while visiting the beach with family in Emerald Isle on June 2, 2026. She was born February 1, 1928 to Sarah and Abraham Halperin. Her brothers Meyer and Jack, 12 and 8 years older, helped raise her.

Pearl spent the early years of her life in Red Bank, New Jersey. It was here that she first grew to love science, inspired by the laboratory her brothers set up in their apartment’s garage. An independent thinker, she also convinced her mother to defy convention and sew her a pair of pants.

She was homeschooled in her early years due to severe asthma and at age 16 her family relocated to Lynn, Massachusetts to access better medical care. There she attended high school, graduating class valedictorian in 1946. She went on to study at Simmons College where she majored in biology and chemistry, graduating in 1952. Shortly after, she met Samuel Levine who was beginning his PhD in chemistry, and they were married in 1953. Pearl and Sam moved to Durham in 1960 where she raised their four children for over 25 years.

Over the years Pearl worked at many labs. First, a phlebotomy lab at Boston University medical school where her brother got her a job before college, then a hospital in Princeton where she did x-rays and bloodwork. She went on to work at a hematology research lab at Walter Reed Army Hospital where she first authored a paper. She would proudly remember that her research was published before her husband’s. In Durham she worked for 12 years in the Gross Lab at the Division of Genetics Department of Biochemistry at Duke University Medical Center.

A rigorous thinker, Pearl was curious about the world and always appreciated the pursuit of knowledge. She loved art, especially classical music. She was incredibly principled. She cared deeply about politics and the direction of the world, but was persistently optimistic even in the face of setbacks. Her curiosity extended to anyone she met and she was unfailingly kind to everyone she encountered.

Pearl’s family and friends were at the center of her life. She was a consistent and steady presence for all those she loved –– there to help after the births of many babies, as support in illnesses, and with calm, practical, and compassionate advice. She was a lifelong member of Beth El Synagogue where she was a devoted member of the community. She was so beloved as a friend, mother, and grandmother.

Pearl is survived by her four children and their spouses: Cynthia Levine and her husband Eric Anderson, Amy Webberman and her husband Jerry, Beth Levine, and Kenny Levine. She is also survived by her four grandchildren: Rachel Webberman, Avi Webberman, Sam Reynolds-Levine, and Adam Reynolds-Levine. Pearl was preceded in death by her parents, Sarah and Abraham Halperin, and her brothers Meyer Halperin and Jack Halperin, and her husband Samuel Levine.

Services will be held at 11:00AM Friday, June 5 at Beth El Synagogue, 1004 Watts St, Durham 27701. Burial will follow at Durham Hebrew Cemetery.

The family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Inc.