On December 31, 2025, Blanche Weintraub Wine of Sullivans Island, SC, beloved wife of Mark Wine; mother of Kim (Tym) Schelling, Lara Wine (Joe) Lee, and Dana (Matt) Johnson; loving grandmother of Gabe and Micah Johnson; Mickey, Sydney, Eryn, Patrick and Dylan Lee; sister to Maurice (Tammy) Weintraub, Richard (Sandy) Weintraub, Stanley (Nancy) Weintraub, Cherie (Charlie) Russo; and aunt to numerous generations. She is predeceased by her parents, Leon and Guta Weintraub, and her brother, Norman Weintraub. Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026, 11:30 a.m. at BSBI Maryville Cemetery. Donations in her memory may be made to the Brith Shalom Beth Israel Joe Engel Holocaust Fund.

Blanche was born on March 24, 1947, in Charleston to Guta and Leon Weintraub, both survivors of the Holocaust. Guta and Leon and ultimately their six children, of which, Blanche was the oldest, were welcomed by the Charleston Jewish community and in turn, Blanche embraced the community with her talents and community engagement.

At just 13 years old, she became a violinist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and as a young woman she was crowned at Rivers High School in consecutive years as Miss Rivers and Miss Tide.

As a lifelong member of Brith Sholom Beth Israel Congregation, she was deeply committed to Jewish life from a young age as Blanche was the first female student at the Charleston Hebrew Institute, now known as Addlestone Hebrew Academy, thus breaking barriers that would define much of her life. She was also President of B’nai Brith Girls (BBG) Southern District.

She graduated from Rivers High School, where she was a leader in the school’s integration and participated in civil rights demonstrations, living out the values that grew from her family’s history. She went on to attend the University of South Carolina, earning a double major in biology and chemistry, and later received a master’s degree in education from American University.

Her professional life reflected her life-long love of learning and educating, particularly for science. She began her career working in a biochemistry laboratory at Northwestern University in Chicago. During this time, she was re-acquainted with Mark, who she married in June 1969. Together they settled in Washington, D.C., where they raised their three daughters.

Blanche went on to teach science at every level, from early education through graduate education. She was particularly devoted to educating through her work for the Smithsonian Institution’s nationwide science teachers program, as a professor at DC’s American University, as a supervisor for the Teach for America Program in Baltimore city, as well as a program for career changers, the Resident Teacher Mentoring Program.

In later years, she returned to Sullivan’s Island, surrounded by her children and seven grandchildren, to whom she was a constant source of love, wisdom, and encouragement. She will be remembered for her pioneering spirit, her commitment to education, and for her devotion to her family.