Richard Elsinger Goldsmith

Richard was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in San Antonio. He attended Travis Elementary, Mark Twain Middle School, and graduated from Jefferson High School in 1951.

After his freshman year at the University of Texas at Austin, Richard transferred to Harvard College where he studied American History and graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1955. He graduated from Harvard Law School and passed the Texas Bar in 1958. After law school, he served two years as a Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force at the Strategic Air Command base in Columbus, Mississippi.

Richard returned to San Antonio in 1960 and joined the law firm of Matthews, Nowlin, Macfarlane & Barrett (later Matthews & Branscomb and ultimately Cox Smith). He was the firm's ninth lawyer and remained there for more than 50 years, specializing in tax and estate planning. He received his LLM in Taxation from NYU in 1965. Known for his integrity, intellect, and generosity, he built a distinguished career and received numerous honors from both the San Antonio Bar and the State Bar of Texas.

In 2011, at the age of 78, he left Cox Smith to serve as in-house general legal counsel for the San Antonio Area Foundation, an organization he founded in 1964. What began with a small gift, in memory of his father, has since grown into one of the region's most important philanthropic institutions, stewarding hundreds of charitable funds that support organizations throughout San Antonio and surrounding counties.

Richard was known for his dedication to his family and the wider San Antonio community. He believed it was his duty and moral obligation to give back to the city in which he lived. As a board member of countless San Antonio non-profit organizations, he gave his time and legal expertise freely.

He enthusiastically served as president for two years of the United Fund, now the United Way. He sat on the boards of the Ella Austin Community Center, Gemini Ink, the San Antonio Food Bank, Texas Public Radio, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the San Antonio Botanical Garden, and he was the founder and sole member of the Society for the Prevention of Plant Abuse.

Richard served on the Bexar County Board of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, now the Center for Health Care Services. He served as president for 4 years of the Bexar County Child Guidance Center, now Clarity Child Guidance Center. During the 1960s, he co-founded the Halfway House of San Antonio, now known as Crosspoint, and served as its president for 5 years.

One of his proudest professional achievements was establishing a legal structure that allowed unrelated nonprofit organizations to pool investments, creating what became the Combined Charities Investment Group. He was honored as a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Association, as an Imagineer by the Life Science Foundation in San Antonio, and received recognition from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He and his wife, Toni, received the National Humanitarian Award from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. In 2023, Richard was honored by the SAISD Foundation with their Inspire Award, and most recently, on his 91st birthday, he was recognized by the Texas State Senate for his philanthropy.

Richard was a lifelong member and former trustee of Temple Beth-El. He co-founded the Temple's Permanent Charities Foundation and served as its president for 11 years.

In 2015, at the age of 81, he fully retired from practicing law and set about returning to some of his hobbies: photography, growing orchids, and birding.

Richard was a dignified, honest, humble, and loyal man with a sharp wit and keen sense of humor. He was also a poised public speaker, whether his remarks were prepared or off the cuff. He loved art, classical music, plants, the outdoors, horseback riding, bike riding, swimming, the city of San Antonio, and most of all, his two daughters, Ruth and Joan, and his wife of 59 years, Toni.

When Ruth was small enough to sit in a seat on the back of his bicycle, he enjoyed rides through the neighborhood while playing a game of his own invention called "Fact or Opinion" to help sharpen her critical thinking skills. He also spent countless hours in his home darkroom teaching Joan to develop film and print black and white photos. He taught both his girls to horseback ride in the Hill Country and to appreciate nature and simplicity during the many family trips to Big Bend and Vermont. Even when relaxing at home, Richard could always be found in his "off-duty attorney uniform" of khaki pants and a white t-shirt. He never wore a pair of blue jeans in his life.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents Nat and Ruth Goldsmith, his aunt Ruth Goldsmith Goodman, his uncle Mannie Goldsmith, and his half-sisters, Joan Salkey Reichert and Lois Goldsmith Oppenheimer.

He is survived by his wife, Antonia (Toni) Kunz Goldsmith, his daughters Ruth Elizabeth Goldsmith and Joan Margaret Goldsmith (Ory Barak) and grandchildren Sai and Nia Barak; his nephew and nieces Joshua Reichert (Silvia), Mimi Reichert Lewis (Steve), Madeleine Reichert Zachary (Robert), Amy Reichert (Richard Sergay), Pauline Oppenheimer Weisberg, and Claire Oppenheimer O'Malley; great nieces and nephews, Jessica Zachary Nicolayevesky, Jay Vargas-Zachary, Laura Zachary Mehta, Chloe Zachary Courlang, Matthew Lewis, Daniel Lewis, Adam Lewis, Nathaniel Sergay, Joan Sergay, Arianna Reichert, Alex Weisberg, Edward O'Malley, Harris O'Malley, and 14 great-great nieces and nephews.

No recounting of Richard's life would be complete without appreciating the enormous role Darnell Henderson has played in the life of the Goldsmith family for over 66 years.

The family offers special thanks to the caring staff of River City Hospice and the superb care given by Jennifer Adair from Avenues Home Health. Additionally, we thank the wonderful and supportive caregivers Raejiene Lambert, Aaron Koroma, Carlie Smith Jr., Jennifer Barzona, Alycia Young, and Bridget Benns from Caring Solutions.

We are grateful to Augustina Mendez, our loyal housekeeper of more than 36 years.

A memorial service will be held at Temple Beth-El on Friday, April 3, 2026 at 11am. Should you wish to honor Richard Goldsmith, the family asks that you consider making a contribution to the San Antonio Food Bank, the San Antonio Area Foundation, the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, or the charity of your choice.