Marsha Goldstein

Sam was born on 31 May 1941 in Philadelphia, PA and was a dedicated mother, wife, and friend, who will be missed by all who knew her. Sam married early in life, at age 19, and raised young boys, mostly alone after divorcing her first husband. She met Jules and married again and they were together for 30 years until his death shortly after September 11, 2001.

Prior to meeting Jules, Sam worked as a secretary for a number of companies, but was always there for her boys. After marrying Jules, the family moved from Teaneck, NJ to Chattanooga, Tennessee. In Sam’s words, the only difference between the two cities was that in Teaneck, there was a First National Bank on every corner and in Chattanooga, there was a Southern Baptist Church. No difference at all.

From Chattanooga, Sam and Jules ended up in Marietta, where Sam decided to go to college and earned her degree in Criminal Justice at Georgia State University with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She then began her new career as a Probation Officer for the State of Georgia, dealing with drug and sex offenders. She loved the job and had some stories that proved the adage that truth is stranger than fiction.

Sam was also an animal lover. Throughout most of her adult life there were dogs--BIG dogs: Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands; dogs weighing over 100 lbs, which in most cases were equal to or heavier than she was. All were well behaved and well trained. Sam also worked at the Atlanta Zoo as a volunteer, who was responsible for handling snakes and anteaters and sharing information with the patrons about the animals. After she was no longer able to perform her volunteer work at the zoo, she took in a rescue dog, a standard poodle, who was in poor health. Sam nursed the dog back to health and the two of them became best of friends. It was a true testament to her love of animals.

Sam is survived by her two sons, David and Mitch; and her three grandchildren, Kelly, Kyle, and Rachel.

A graveside funeral service will be held at Arlington Memorial Park on Wednesday, May 27th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your favorite rescue, or the Atlanta Zoo, to honor her love of animals.