Beatrice Enson died peacefully May 16 at her apartment at Vashon Community Care where she had lived since August of last year. Her husband Yale Enson died in February. She is survived by three daughters, Beth Enson (Ray Garcia), Martha Enson (Kevin Joyce) and Abby Enson (Christopher Overstreet), and three grandchildren, Rivala Garcia, Ruby Enson Joyce, and Kolibri Enson Overstreet. A memorial service will be held once shelter-in-place regulations are lifted. Donations in her memory can be made to MADRE at madre.org.
Beatrice, nee Senofsky, was born June 30, 1927, in Philadelphia, PA. Her brother was raised as a violinist, becoming world-famous. Beatrice was groomed to be his accompanist on the piano but was disinclined to comply, choosing instead the field of psychiatry. She attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania and completed her psychiatric residency at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, where she met her husband, Yale Enson, then the Chief Resident in Internal Medicine. They married in 1954. After her psychoanalytic training at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education in NYC, Beatrice became a child psychoanalyst in private practice at an office in her home, so she could parent and practice without a commute.
Members of the Psychoanalytic Association tried to dissuade her from marrying and having children, hoping to secure her has an administrator, but with typical spunk, she ignored their pressures. She resisted the takeover of the field of psychiatry by the pharmaceutical industry, remaining committed to the efficacy of talk and play therapy over the prescribing of psychoactive medications. She had a generous sliding fee scale for her patients. She was an active member of the Psychoanalytic Institute, supervising analysts in training.
She was an energetic walker, reader, gardener and nature lover. In 2008, she and Yale moved to Vashon to be closer to children and grandchildren. They joined the Vashon Chorale and enjoyed many years of practicing and performing great choral works. Beatrice was a sensitive, kind-hearted and reflective person who touched hundreds of people very deeply during her lifetime. She valued her family above all else.
