Eddie "Taffy" Mae Goldsmith

Eddie Mae “Taffy” (Merrell) Goldsmith, our petite, sweet-talking and fast-walking dynamo in high heels and a red power suit, passed from this Earth into the waiting arms of God and her husband on Monday, July 20. Raised by her grandparents in Greenville, Texas, she moved to Dallas in 1945 and almost immediately met the only man she would ever love, Cliff Goldsmith. They met in their 15th summer, when he pedaled down Kenmore Street to check out the cute blonde who was out twirling her baton in short shorts. At Woodrow Wilson High School, they were the perfect couple…Cliff the quarterback, Taffy the drum majorette; he the Student Council President, she the Senior Favorite. Their friendships from WWHS were a great blessing of their lives. Taffy attended SMU for a year, then headed to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of song-writing and recording. Ultimately, their love survived the separation and ambition of youth, and Cliff coaxed her back to Texas. They would be married for 63 years.

The young couple chased their dreams in Texas and the Mountain West, as Cliff’s career took them from West Texas oilfields to uranium mines in Utah, but they eventually settled back in Dallas. With two young daughters and a son in tow, Taffy started breaking the mold of the 50’s woman and began her own career as a volunteer and activist in the Republican Party, plotting her path to help change Texas from deep blue to red. Taffy was a major player in John Tower's game-changer election to the Senate in 1960, and the house filled up with political literature, yard signs, volunteers and wonderful friends, as well as two more daughters. In the early years she was the Young Republican National Committeewoman from Texas, eventually winning designation as Outstanding Young Republican Woman. Her influence ran from local to national… she was a precinct chairman in Lake Highlands for decades, managed successful political campaigns, ran for the City Council, and served as the youngest member of the National Right to Work Committee. She was twice president of the Dallas County Council of Republican Women, president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women, and vice-chair of the Dallas County Republican Party. This forever-busy lady also found time to serve as the president of the Dallas Civic Garden Center and to be a patron of the Delta Gamma fraternity.

She was always particularly proud that she had political admirers of all ages and generations, and was called upon for her counsel by senators, congressmen, legislators, local officials and even a First Lady. She was the classic velvet hammer... a sweet but firm voice with wise and well-considered opinions on public policy and political strategy. Her “pension” from a lifetime of service to the Republican Party was paid with the affection and devotion of a legion of political friends.

Taffy was a fiercely loyal and loving mother to her five children: Karan (Joe) Callaway, Malinda (Gary) Moor, Mark (Kim) Goldsmith, Susan (Aladin) Abughazaleh, and Rebecca (Frank) Romano. She was our protector of principles, leader of Girl Scouts and the PTA, sweet singer of lullabies, maker of costumes, and lover of Cuchara meadows. She lived long enough to influence each of her 14 grandchildren: Hailey, Reid, Lane, Melissa, Drew, Camille, Laura, Sean, Will, Salem, Leigh, Katie, Reagan and Rocco, and leaves a legacy of eight great-grandchildren.

Our family will find a time in the coming months to properly celebrate ninety years of a life well-lived and a life well-loved. We will always remember the Woodrow friends and the special people of the Republican Party who never stopped caring. We would also like to thank the good folks at Edgemere who made her last days comfortable and peaceful. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to The Service for Sight Fund of the Delta Gamma Foundation (donate.deltagamma.org) or Texas Discovery Gardens (txdg.org/donate).

“Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe.”