Dr. Nancy T. Goldman

Dr. Nancy T. Goldman, lovingly known as Nana, passed away on February 18, 2024 at the age of 79. She is survived by her daughter Lauren, son Evan, Lauren’s husband Brian and their two children, Lila and Siena, brother Jim, niece Linda, and was predeceased by her sister, Marsha. Nancy was born in Buffalo, NY on September 2, 1944 to young parents, and was happily adopted and raised by Alfred and Estella Taylor. At the age of 10, Nancy and her family moved to Bradenton on the west coast of Florida. She spent her formative years there before returning to New York for undergraduate studies.

A highly accomplished woman, Nancy graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Journalism in 1966. After spending a brief time working in the journalism field in NYC, Nancy pivoted to a career in education, for which she would develop a great passion for until the end of her life. Beginning her teaching career in East Harlem, Nancy would go on to earn her master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1969, and her Doctorate (ed.D.) from the same prestigious institution in 1991. With her credentials in tow, Nancy began a rewarding career in the education field. She was a highly sought-after consultant in children’s gifted education in the 80’s and 90’s, working with many schools and programs in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Her reputation grew to the point that she was contracted to consult internationally, the pinnacle being a weeklong engagement in Singapore in Southeast Asia.

Her post-consulting career began with curriculum development as a Rockland BOCES director. She continued this phase of her career as the Director of Curriculum for the Pearl River School District in NY where she played an integral role in earning the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, an award that led her and her cohorts to a multi-week trip throughout India hosted by tech company Infosys, where they were asked to share their experience and guidance on how to develop quality curriculum at the high school level. She and others from the Pearl River school district were also invited to be recognized by President Bush in Washington DC for their award-winning work.

After Pearl River, Nancy pivoted her career once again to the postgraduate level. She became the Director for Secondary Education at Long Island University Hudson campus. In addition, she taught courses each semester, guiding the next generation of teachers on sound curriculum development and education practices. A person who was too shy to speak publicly when younger, Nancy relished the fact that she had become such a comfortable, confident, and effective speaker in her later years. She would share with her family some of the touching thank you notes she received from her students over the years, a very rewarding experience for her.

In her post-retirement years, Nancy did not slow down. She was heavily involved with The Learning Collaborative (TLC), an organization dedicated to continued learning and education for those who quite simply love learning! She even joined its board in 2017. Nancy would continue to take TLC courses via Zoom even from her hospital bed while fighting her terrible sickness. During the pandemic, Nancy stayed at her daughter’s house in Bergen County, NJ. Utilizing her expertise in early childhood development, she was active in her two granddaughter’s remote academic instruction, assisting daily in their educational development and growth. She was looked at as not just a grandparent, but a super grandparent with a parental role.

Nancy was also an accomplished author. She had a journal article published in her younger days. She also published a book in 2021 on her early childhood years called My Adoption Triangle. In it, she talked about her experiences growing up as an adopted child, and how that influenced her life’s choices. A chapter of the book describes her search for her birth parents beginning in her late forties. Against all odds, she was able to find them, make contact with them, and subsequently form a relationship, a friendship, with her birth mother Diane that spanned 25 years. Nancy was in the process of completing a second book about her journey battling cancer, which she unfortunately did not get the chance to finish.

A large part of Nancy’s identity was her Judaism. Born Episcopalian Christian, Nancy would convert to Judaism before marrying her ex-husband David in 1971. Not one to simply do a thing, Nancy joined the Jewish faith with full commitment. She became a Bat Mitzvah in her 40’s at Congregation Sons of Israel (CSI) in Nyack, NY. Later, she would become the president of the same synagogue for 4 years. When her first grandchild, Lila, was born, Nancy founded the Jewish preschool of Nyack at CSI in time for Lila to attend. When her own children were young, Nancy operated as the Preschool Program Director of the Jewish Community Center in Spring Valley, NY. She also served on the PTA at the Reuben Gittelman Hebrew Day School, and volunteered her curriculum and gifted ed experience. She was honored by the Rockland Jewish Family Services organization for her volunteer work among the Jewish community in 2017. Nancy was very family oriented, lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday night and hosting all of the Jewish holidays at her home. Loved greatly by her in-laws, Esther and Sam Goldman, she carried on the tradition of many of Esther’s Jewish recipes handed down from her own mother, which will now be carried on by her daughter, Lauren. Once a full-time resident of Florida, Nancy became a member of Temple Beth Sholom in Sarasota, Florida.

Nancy was an avid traveler, climbing Mount Etna in Sicily just 3 months before her diagnosis in July, 2022. She had been to Europe many times, including spending a semester of college in France where she learned to love French culture, cuisine, and most importantly, red wine. Nancy loved traveling to Greece, which she visited four times over the years. She also was a huge fan of Italy, her favorite city being Florence in the Tuscany region. She rode an elephant in Thailand with her oldest granddaughter, rode a camel through the Sahara in Morocco, climbed Machu Picchu in Peru, followed in Darwin’s footsteps on the Galapagos Islands, and toured the ancient cultures of Vietnam and Cambodia. She also took multiple trips to Israel, as well as Caribbean vacations with family to the islands of Aruba, Saint Martin, St. Thomas, and Anguilla.

Nancy was always attracted to warm climates, in no small part due to growing up in the bone-chilling cold of Western New York. She took many vacations to destinations that boasted wonderful beaches and warm water. She had always talked about returning to the Sarasota-Bradenton area as she neared retirement. She fulfilled those dreams at the age of 60 when she bought her first condo on the beach at the Seaplace community in Longboat Key, FL. Seaplace was her happy place, where she led a rich and active life surrounded by a group of wonderful friends that enjoyed congregating in the warm waters of the gulf or at the pool, watching sunsets together, going out to eat in St. Armands Circle or in the nearby city of Sarasota, enjoying local theater and opera, as well as the occasional movie or card game. It was a fulfilling time in her life, where almost every conversation with her started with “I’m so happy to be here!”.

Nancy was a longtime Broadway enthusiast, attending countless shows in New York City over the years. She loved classical music and attending the opera. She was politically-minded, attending rallies in Washington DC in the late 60’s as well as the March for Women in NYC in early 2017. She was a voracious reader throughout her lifetime, both of books and print. Finding her engrossed in her kindle at the beach or pool was a staple of those who knew her down in Longboat Key, FL. She consumed the New York Times religiously, culminating in the Sunday edition and trying to complete the vaunted times crossword puzzle each weekend. She was an avid Jeopardy! fan, never competing on the show despite being encouraged to do so countless times by friends and family. She also loved watching Wheel of Fortune, especially with her granddaughters at her side. She was also a master at Trivial Pursuit, and enjoyed playing Yahtzee with her family.

Nancy was a role model to all in her fight with ovarian cancer. She fought hard until the very end, enduring two rounds of chemotherapy, six procedures, and multiple emergency interventions. She never gave up hope even in the most dire moments. Her will to live was awe-inspiring to those around her, including her family, friends, and even the medical professionals at Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSK). After spending four months at MSK, she passed away peacefully with her children and grandchildren at her side at the Villa Marie Claire hospice facility in Saddle River, NJ.

Impacted countless lives.

Will be forever missed.

Will be forever remembered.

Will be forever in our hearts.

Funeral services for Nancy will be held Thursday, February 22, 2024 11:00 AM at Congregation Sons of Israel, 300 N Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960. Following the funeral service will be a committal service from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM at Temple Israel Memorial Park, 75 Van Wyck Road, Blauvelt, NY 10913.

The burial and Shiva will be private for family and close friends.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Dr. Goldman to the American Cancer Society for ovarian cancer research.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Hellman Memorial Chapels, 15 State Street, Spring Valley, NY 10977 (845) 356-8600 Jewish Funeral Directors