Matthew Nemerson remembers William W. Goodman 1917 – 2010 - Eulogy from Memorial Service March 2, 2010

Well, it’s a tradition for Jews to rend their clothing at times such as these, and as you can see, I took it a step farther by tearing my Achilles tendon for the occasion…

Another great man of the 20th century Albert Einstein wrote this about man, the world and God in 1940, when Bill Goodman (link to Obituary) was 23 and no doubt paying close attention to the words of a fellow German Jew of similar widely ranging intellectual and political interests and aspirations,

“In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God... In their labors they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself.

“The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge. In this sense I believe that the priest must become a teacher if he wishes to do justice to his lofty educational mission.”

Were those an inspiring message to a young man, or did Bill simply find support for his already developed inner passions and beliefs? I wish I had asked him last week.

Let me next quote Bill’s own priest, mentor and teacher, the Rabbi Stephen Wise who wrote, “An unshared life is not living. He who shares does not lessen, but great-ens, his life.”

Aside to Rabbi: so perhaps Bill became not a Rabbi, but a teacher none the less.

For the Nemerson family, these few lines capture well the wonderful man we remember today, Dear Bill, Billy, Grampa:

Michael Goodman Eulogy for his father


He Searched for the Good and the True.

He strove for rational knowledge.

He sought to share his life with all of us.

And He always saw Beauty in Humanity.



I especially want to open by thanking the Goodmans: Louis, Michael, Kitty, Douglas and Susie for sharing your father with my mother and welcoming all her family into yours.



It is a matter of fact that Bill’s belief that his life must be shared to have meaning, opened the door -- at a time of loss and grief for all of you -- to a great and wonderful decade of happiness and love between Bill and my mother,

his and your acceptance of our family and that willingness to share which he tried to instill in everyone around him,

gave my family the opportunity to truly become members of the Goodman clan and to see and enjoy your patriarch in his glory.

That Bill not only embraced Vivienne but everything and everyone she brought with her was life changing for her and us.

For me there was something wonderful in having a father figure with so many common interests – the yankees, city planning, the gossip of Connecticut political backrooms -- dropped perfectly formed into my life at age 40. Much simpler that way than dealing with him when I was 13 I am sure.

And the Family extended beyond the Nemersons. Marian’s father invited Bill and Vivienne on the Chertow family National Park’s tour in 1999 and when Bernie was too ill to travel, Bill was there to help fill a huge void in her life.

Watching and seeing how Bill faced his final weeks, I imagine that as my teenage daughters come to grips with the concept of eternity and finality it will certainly Bill’s face, words and actions that helps guide their way.

About how few can we truly say, do as they do.



So please Indulge our memories and let me close with a brief list of what was so remarkable and unique about this man:

That strong New York voice, with its Midwestern certainties and Broadway delivery.

dayenu

That kvelling over grand and great grand children and your knowing as the parent that he knew everything that your kid was doing, even if you did not.

Dayenu

That pride and excitement he had in the greatness of the underdog and the unexpected but deserving victory: Tiger, Venus, Marian Anderson, Obama. Okay, maybe not Tiger.

Dayenu

The distrust he had for those who misused power and office, and contempt he had for those who resorted to violence, arrogance and prejudice to get their way.

Dayenu

The respect and interest he had for the waitress, the cab driver, the employee, the victims and the needy.

Dayenu

The sharing of kindred ideas when he would call early on a Sunday to remind you that you just had better read Frank Rich or Maureen Dowd right now.

Dayenu

The taking to heart of Burke and Santayana’s admonition that if you don’t know history you will be doomed to repeat it, as Bill kept Jefferson, Lincoln, WWII, FDR, Truman, Johnson, Civil Rights, Javits, Ribicoff and Bailey fresh in all our minds.

Dayenu

The trips, the Bridge, the golf, the 7-Ps, the getting the suitcases from the attic, the maple syrup and the legs of lamb.

Dayenu

And two final things, the sense that I always had that – more than anyone I will ever know – that when 92 Year old Bill Goodman looked in the mirror or closed his eyes to go to sleep I just know he saw and felt he was still a 30 year old guy stepping out into an amazing and anything is possible world and who was that fellow in the mirror…

And that no matter what tragedy, inhumanity, bad lick, disaster or incomprehensible evil he came across in those 92 years, Bill Goodman believed in his and especially in all of our capacity to make the world a righteous and better place through just one more act of kindness, of charity, tekkun olom, the offer of a hand up and most important of all, by never, never, never letting the bad guys get you down or make you feel that what you felt in your heart was wrong.

Now, I know that Bill would at this point in the program raise his hand – wave it in the air from the front row and then say, “okay interesting speech, times up, can we please eat lunch now?”

God bless you Bill, no human is perfect, but you were perfectly human.

Matthew Nemerson for Vivienne, Andrea, David , Marian, Cindy, Kenton and our children,

March 2, 2010

William Goodman 1917 - 2010

We lost another giant from the "Greatest Generation" Sunday morning as our step-dad of eight years Bill Goodman slipped away peacefully -- as he had planned -- with Vivienne and his son Michael by his side. Bill was chatting and joking to the end and we had several great discussions with him over his last week. Much of the Goodman clan and the three Nemerson children were all able to visit and tell Bill how much he meant to us.

There will be a formal memorial service in Danbury at 11 AM on March 2 at the United Jewish Center, 141 Deer Hill Avenu, Danbury. The official family obituary written by sons Douglas and Michael tells quite a story of a man and the American Century:

William Goodman, 92, a much-beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, an advocate for social justice, a proud Jewish-American, a Democrat and a civic leader in Danbury's post-World War II transformation from the single-industry "Hat City" to today's diversified metropolis known for its quality schools, low crime, and pleasant environs, died of natural causes February 21, 2010 at Danbury Hospital.

A native of New York City, Goodman, with his wife June, moved to Danbury in 1946 to manage the Bieber-Goodman Felt Body Corporation, which had been founded by Max Bieber and Goodman's father, Louis Rose Goodman. Goodman managed the hat company through its move from Danbury to Bethel and until it closed business in 1958 as the last locally-owned and operated hat factory in the Danbury area.

In 1960 he joined George A. Shepard & Sons, Inc., now Shepard's Inc., a commercial warehouse and moving company in Bethel, developing its business and serving as its Chairman until his death.

Goodman and his wife June were intensely involved in Danbury's civic affairs. In the 1950s they helped create the "Committee of 1000," a grass-roots movement dedicated to modernizing Danbury's public school system as the city grew. Deeply familiar with the problems of industrial development in Danbury, Goodman was appointed Chairman of the original Town Planning Commission by 1st Selectman Joseph Sauero. Among his accomplishments was helping convince Stanley Richter to bequeath to the city the tract of land on the west side that was to become the Richter Park Golf course and was subsequently named Chairman of the City Planning Commission by Mayor J. Thayer Bowman soon after the consolidation of the town and city governments. He served more than ten years in that capacity, planning Danbury's economic transformation, the necessary expansion of its infrastructure and paving the way for many companies to make Danbury their home.

When he left the Planning Commission in 1970 he was cited for his "dedicated service, untiring efforts, and valued friendship" by the members of the commission and the officials of the city with whom he had served.

Goodman's civic life in Connecticut began soon after he moved to Danbury when he was appointed by Governor Raymond Baldwin to serve on the state's Veterans Advisory Committee. He subsequently was appointed by Governor Ella Grasso to the State Railroad Commission. He served for many years on Danbury's Town Democratic Party Committee and as Danbury's representative to the Democratic State Central Committee. He was Chairman of the William Ratchford for Congress Committee and was appointed by Governor Grasso to chair Connecticut's Carter for President Committee in 1980.

Among the organizations Goodman helped found, served or for which he advocated are the American Veteran's Committee, Americans for Democratic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, CT., Connecticut Planned Parenthood, the Jewish Federation of Danbury, Danbury's United Jewish Center, the NAACP and as a founding Board Member of the New Israel Fund. At the time of his death he was a member of the Danbury Library Board (originally appointed by Mayor Gino Arconti and reappointed by Mayor Mark Boughton), the Danbury Men's Club, the Danbury Bridge Club, and the Twisters Golf Club.

William Wolf Goodman was born September 21, 1917 in New York City to Louis Rose Goodman and Florence Wolf Goodman. In his 1932 confirmation essay written for Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, one of the preeminent Jewish thinkers of the 20th century, Goodman wrote, "Whatever interferes with the development of your manhood or womanhood is injustice," signaling his long commitment to equal rights.

He was educated at Horace Mann High School in New York and graduated with a bachelor of arts in Sociology from Dartmouth College in 1939.

In 1941 he and June Van Raalte Karelsen of New York City were married, a union which lasted 56 years until her death in 1997. Goodman served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1946 and was discharged in the Pacific Theater with the rank of Captain. In 1942, a few months before his first child was born, Goodman wrote to him from Pearl Harbor, where he was stationed: "[The Jews] have been a religious group that has desired for all freedom and greater happiness...may you in your life help to make it a world of peace and a world of understanding among all men." The letter was published in PM and read by Ralph Bellamy on WABC radio as part of a War Bonds Drive.

In 2002 he married Vivienne Nemerson of New Haven, CT, with whom he shared a great love of travel, politics and the arts.

Bill is survived by his wife, Vivienne, his sister Loucel Lippman of New York City and by his and June's five children: Louis Goodman of Bethesda, MD; Michael Goodman of Westport, CT; Kitty Stein of Lincoln, MA; Douglas Goodman of New York City; and Susan Goodman-Goldstein of Red Hook, NY. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Elizabeth Goodman of Brooklyn, NY; Kelric Goodman of Catonsville, MD; Jennifer Goodman of Sarasota, FL; Somers Goodman of Waco, TX; Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah of The Hague, The Netherlands; and Joshua Goldstein of Red Hook, NY. His ten great-grandchildren are Jessica and Henry Balick Goodman of Catonsville, MD; Ella, Isaiah, and Julian Brown of Brooklyn; Helen and Daisy Goodman of Waco, TX; Kaia and Sophia Yturralde of Sarasota, FL and Dalia Sabbah-Goldstein of The Hague.

Goodman is also survived by Vivienne's children and granchildren:Matthew Nemerson and his daughters, Elana and Joy, of New Haven; David Nemerson and his son, Arlo, of Baltimore; and Andrea Nemerson and her children, Avram and Lilah Nemerson Hoover , of San Francisco.

Goodman was a charming, optimistic, dynamic and loving civic leader, cook, sportsman and businessman, utterly devoted to his family and many friends. He was a dedicated Danburian and a life-long Democrat as illustrated by one of his proudest statements: "The only Republican I ever voted for was T. Clark Hull [for State Senator], but only once!"

Goodman fought many battles, never worried about what people might think or what the odds of success were if he believed something ought to done. At the height of the 1950's Red Scare he chose, despite numerous threats and warnings, to testify before the Army-McCarthy hearings on behalf of a college classmate who had been accused of being a Communist.

In his last weeks William Goodman did not depart from how he lived every day: with optimism and great spiritual energy, buoyed by his clear belief that his causes would be carried on by the next three generations of Goodmans and Nemersons.

The family will be receiving guests for two evenings on Monday February 22 and Tuesday February 23 at 7:00 PM in their home at 1 Lakeside Rd. in Danbury. There will be a Memorial Service Tuesday, March 2 at 11 a.m. at the United Jewish Center on Deer Hill Ave. in Danbury. Contributions in his memory can be made to The New Israel Fund at www.nif.org.