Hyman Goodman's Obituary
Hy Goodman was a very sweet, kind man. As most of you know, the last several years he had dementia while still being sweet and kind, dementia is a horrible disease and robs the person of so much.
Hy’s parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe. He grew up in Hudson, NY. Hy was always very proud to be an American and worked diligently his entire life. He took great pride in the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. Hy and his beautiful wife Edith were married for 65 wonderful years.
During WWII, he enlisted with the Marines and was very proud to serve. He served in the Pacific and was an air traffic controller, and post WWII served as part of the peace-keeping force in Japan. While there he made friends with a Japanese teenage boy; he saw the struggles of the people living there. When it was time to leave, he gave this young man all of his clothes and his address and told him if he ever visits NY to contact him. The man wrote a lovely note to Hy which he kept. This was just one of the many examples of Hy being so kind and caring to others.
Hy and his brother-in-law owned a men’s clothing store for a number of years. After that he worked as a Circulation Manager for a family-owned business, Ottawa Newspapers, for close to 30 years. He was so loved and respected by all.
Hy was very dedicated to his Jewish faith and his family. Growing up he made sure to pass on to his children a love of Judaism and of Israel. This was a key foundation to their lives. The family was always very active in their synagogue and Hy loved going to daily minyan.
After Hy retired, he enjoyed volunteering with a variety of organizations, to name a few: The Reading Seed Program. He went to Bani Isreal’s kindergarten classrooms weekly and read with children and was fondly known as “Saba Hy”; he was involved with a Youth Golf program focusing on children at risk and low-income children, giving them an opportunity to learn how to play golf, and many more programs.
He was a wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather. Hy’s sweet demeanor, humor, bright smile, and kindness will be dearly missed. He is survived by his daughter, Marlene (Malka) Abraham, and his son, Daniel Goodman.
What’s your fondest memory of Hyman?
What’s a lesson you learned from Hyman?
Share a story where Hyman's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Hyman you’ll never forget.
How did Hyman make you smile?