Alan H. Goldman, 86, joined our mom in Heaven on March 30, 2021. He was surrounded by his family and classical music. He was preceded in death by his wife of 43 years, Barbara Rae (Bobbi) Riesenberg Goldman and his parents, Sam and Doris Goldman. He is survived by his 5 children, 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and his sister, Freddie Brown.
Alan was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 13, 1934. At 11 years of age, he moved with his family to Memphis, TN. Alan started playing French Horn in 10th grade and developed a passion for playing the horn that would last throughout his lifetime.
He served in the United States Army from 1956 until 1958 assigned to the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra. He toured constantly over western Europe playing concerts at least 4 times per week.
In 1960, Alan married Bobbi, a Pine Bluff, AR native, and they settled in Pine Bluff to raise their family. Alan was an avid cook and loved to try new and interesting dishes. His spaghetti sauce recipe is a closely guarded family secret and his home-made prosciutto was sought after by local restaurants and friends.
Alan’s career path was as varied as his many talents. He first opened a beauty shop, Alan’s Coiffeur Designers, that developed a following years after the doors were closed. Next, he turned his passion for car repair into Alan’s Foreign Car Garage. His next endeavor was JD’s Pawn Shop which allowed him to combine all of his passions in one place. He purchased a 1957 Harley Pan-Head motorcycle and sidecar in boxes and proceeded to put it back together in the back room of the shop. He was an avid collector of wrist watches and pocket knives and loved to purchase wrecked musical instruments and rebuild them to their former glory. Classical music would emanate from within JD’s as Alan practiced his French Horn to be ready for his next performance, both amusing and confusing the drunks and winos on 3rd and State.
Throughout his varied career, his love of music remained constant. Before moving to Pine Bluff, he was Principal French Horn with the Chattanooga Symphony, he played with the Atlanta Symphony and the Memphis Symphony. Alan was a founding member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra which was founded/reorganized in 1965. He played with the ASO for more than 35 years. Alan was also a member of the Pine Bluff Symphony, he regularly performed with the Mississippi Symphony and he formed the Arkansas Brass Quartet, which played all over Arkansas.
Alan and Bobbi moved to Little Rock in 2001 where they lived until Bobbi’s passing in 2003. In 2013, Alan moved to Hot Springs Village, AR with his companion, Sylvia Downey. They shared a mutual love of exploring far away destinations and their travels took them from Russia to Antarctica and everywhere in between.
Memorial plans have not been finalized. If you wish to make a donation in Alan’s memory, please consider supporting the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
Support (arkansassymphony.org).
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