Alan Philip Goldberg was the son of Emanuel Goldberg and Frieda Pessel, and the brother of Joel and Meryl. Alan’s parents, his sister and first wife Cathy predeceased him; he is survived by his brother Joel, his wife Dawn, his daughters Allison and Michelle, son-in-law Jeremy, stepsons Jack and Joey, daughter-in-law Mary Beth, brothers-in-law Elliot and J.B, sister-in-law Laurie, many cousins, nieces, nephews and his beloved grandchildren JJ, Joy, and Max.
Alan was born on February 12, 1952 and grew up in Flushing, Queens, New York. Growing up, he and his brother Joel worked as delivery boys for the family business and Alan later worked in catering until he graduated from Queens College with a major in Physical Education and a minor in Business.
While in college, Alan met Cathy Knott and they eloped in 1972 and were married for 32 years. The highlight of the marriage was the birth of their two daughters, Allison and Michelle.
While in New Mexico, Alan began working for GE. He stayed with the company through 9 moves and many promotions to places including California, Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and finally North Carolina. Alan invested 40 years in the company. He was a great leader who was respected by not only those who worked for him, but also by the executives for whom he worked. He was the go-to person for all levels.
Alan and Dawn met working at GE in Raleigh and were married in Costa Rica in 2009. Their marriage brought together a blended family that Alan welcomed as his own.
Alan’s greatest joy in life was spending quality time, usually over a meal, with his family and friends. He loved to travel to exotic places, including visiting
Allison and Jeremy across the world during their service in the U.S. Navy. One of his most recent accomplishments was traveling to Antarctica to achieve his goal of having traveled to all seven continents. Alan arguably never retired. Even after he left GE/Genworth, he stayed busy volunteering at the USO, working out at the gym, taking classes at NC State, and spending his time with his grandchildren. Being a Paw-Paw to JJ, Joy, and Max meant so much to him. He loved spicy food, loungewear, washing his car, giving detailed tutorials, and anything and everything about the United States Postal Service or the airport. He loved his siblings, and any opportunity to come home to New York where he was guaranteed to enjoy his sister Meryl’s cooking.
Alan will be missed by all who knew him, remembered as a person who could be counted on to do the right thing, and lived his life with a gentle strength and a smile.
A CELEBRATION of Life will be held in honor of Alan on Sunday the 11th at 2pm. The celebration will be held outdoors at:
Chapel Hill Carriage House
3110 Jones Ferry Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
The attire is casual.
In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the USO in Alan’s name at the following link: Donate to the USO · United Service Organizations
Please select “In Honor of Block” and enter Alan Goldberg. You can have the "in tribute" card mailed to:
Dawn Aschenbrenner
5804 Laurel Rock Lane
Raleigh, NC 27613
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