Elaine Gold

4/4/38-5/1/26

We’d like to tell you about our mother. Our mom was very special and a force of good for all who knew her. She also had a fierce desire to live, surviving 26 years with her first terminal illness and another two with her second. She never thought she would live to old age and it took us many years to convince her she had reached old age!

Starting from when we were children she instilled everything a growing child needs to become a worthwhile and well-rounded individual. She taught us important values and traits such as kindness, love, honesty, responsibility, a sense of pride and humor. Mom also showed us the importance of helping others. She taught us all these things not by preaching but through example. We tried our hardest to be exactly like this perfect person we admired so much.

Mom gave up a career she loved because she felt her children were more important than a job. She loved being with us. She volunteered and showed up for everything at school. Mom attended all functions, was always the class mom, PTA member, and Brownie leader (because she called to find out what time the Brownies met and by the end of the call she was the leader!).

My mother was very bright but it wasn’t until high school that she finally showed what she was capable of in class. She got a 100 on the math regents exam. Mom was so proud that she made the honor role. She was intelligent in so many ways. She had a love of building. An erector set was one of her favorite toys. Mom enjoyed taking things apart to see how they worked and then putting them back together. She did this with her new sewing machine, ending up with one extra part and told her dad the company wasted money because this gear wasn’t needed, and it wasn’t. Mom was told she should be an architect but she just loved children and wanted to be a teacher. She was an amazing teacher! Mom helped so many children in her classes and all the places she volunteered.

My mother was so lucky to meet the man of her dreams on a blind date on Valentine’s Day 1958. They were so in sync, except for the time when Dad proposed and she said, “no”. I was shocked when she told me and she said that was the same reaction Dad had. Luckily they found each other again a year later and she said, “yes”. They wanted to travel for a year instead of buying an engagement ring. Everyone told them that was crazy; they needed to get a ring. So they got the ring, but the travel bug never left them. They took a trip to Russia in the early 70s. They continued traveling whenever they could and had the most fabulous experiences. Because they were so kind they always received special treatment during their trips.

Mom passed on her love of travel by taking us on the best family vacations. She usually took us to places they had experienced first like Vermont, Canada, and Colorado, to name a few. Mom would pick out the places she knew we would all enjoy which wasn’t an easy task. We used to spend the summer in Hampton Bays. She would teach us how to fish, clam, and dig for mussels. We had lots of fun, even when she was attacked by a duck after stating how good her duck dinner was.

When Richard was looking for his house my parents were in Colorado, and they spoke to all his potential neighbors to make sure it was a good neighborhood. She was always there to help us in all the stages of our lives. When Richard got sick, mom canceled the sale of their house and their move and went to CO to take care of him. Then she brought him back to New City to heal. We loved her so much.

She was so lucky to have lived a full, healthy, happy, very long life. She will be greatly missed!

We will have a Celebration of Life for my mom on Sunday, May 3rd from 12:00 to 5:00 and Monday, May 4th from 5:00-8:00 at the Golds’ residence.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society.