Ronald Arnold Goodman, 87, passed away on Monday, January 5, 2026, in his home in Quincy, Massachusetts. The cause was cancer. Ron was born on September 20, 1938, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Caryl and Arnold Goodman. He attended the Morey Elementary School on Pine Street and then spent time at Eaglebrook (Deerfield, MA) and Andover (MA) Academies. He went on to Harvard College as a pre-med student concentrating in English and where he was a member of Winthrop House and the Class of 1960. His medical training transitioned to the study of literature at Tufts graduate school (M.A. 1962). He enlisted in the army, where he became a sharpshooter and spent many years in the reserves. He credits his service as giving him discipline, a connection to his peers from all walks of life, and the start of his teaching career with the lessons on American citizenship he taught to foreign-born wives of service men.
While he was proud of all the schools he attended, Ron was deeply connected to the alumni experience at Harvard. He interviewed applicants from across the South Shore for many decades, took and taught continuing education classes at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement (HILR), and held multiple offices in the Harvard Alumni Association.
Ron used to say that the best job was “one you could bike to,” and which provided you with purpose, service, and a balanced life. He loved teaching and worked until retirement at Quincy Junior College (now Quincy College). His courses in English, Biology, Photography, and Computer Science provide a window into the range of his knowledge and passions. He took great pride in helping to support his students in their professional journeys to careers in law enforcement, nursing, and more.
In addition to teaching, he had a successful real estate career in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, offered systems and technical consulting as a self-described “GORP (Grossly Overpaid Renaissance Person),” and contributed writing and photography to over seven books including Adam, or Ape: A Sourcebook of Discoveries about Early Man, Childbirth Education: A Nursing Perspective, Using MS-DOS Through Version 6.0 (Software Solutions), The Boston Harbor Islands: a History of an Urban Wilderness, and Boston’s Downtown Movie Palaces.
Ron was strong of spirit, mind, and body. His competitive tennis career started as a child at Camp Wigwam in Maine and continued in professional tournaments. He moved on to racquetball, championships in squash, running, biking, kayaking, and more. The last time he drove his car was to get to the gym to lift weights this past December while in hospice care.
Ron used his camera as a way to explore ideas visually and to capture the beauty of people and nature. For many years, he developed pictures in his basement dark room, but he grew to love the chemical-free ease of digital photography.
While he never played an instrument, his knowledge of classical music was encyclopedic. He could listen to a few measures of a piece of chamber or orchestral music and quickly identify the composer and title. He won a weekly Boston Public Radio contest so many times with this skill that he was asked to stop competing.
Community service was a constant in his life. He volunteered for years as a computer science teacher at the Manet Health Center and the Long Island Shelter. For his work narrating medical books for Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic, he was given a Boston Celtics “Heroes Among Us” Award.
Ron was deeply proud of his Jewish identity. He helped restore the Vilna Shul in Boston, explored the horrors of the Holocaust through study and art, and was a dedicated member of groups bringing together Palestinians and Jews.
Ron decided to purchase a small cabin in New Hampshire and a winterized summer home in Quincy before stepping inside either house. The natural beauty of the White Mountains and Boston Harbor were daily inspirations for him. He spent many hours dedicated to local conservation efforts with a particular focus on the Boston Harbor. He received the Houghs Neck Good Neighbor Honor Award in recognition of his devotion to his neighbors and neighborhood.
More than anything, Ron loved people. He was the life of the party, the teller of puns and inappropriate jokes, and a loyal friend. He was a generous and expansive patriarch who welcomed into his circle a tight web of related and chosen family.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Lewis Goodman; his children, Sarah E. Goodman and David Goodsmith; his son in law Richard Roundy, his stepchildren, Alexandra Wallenstein and Jessie and Sara Lewis; his niece and nephew, Brad Goodman and Julie Ray; and his grandchildren, Ella, Willow, Hannah, Jasper, Nova, and Marina. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Judith Skeist Goodman, and his siblings, Leslie and John Goodman.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his name to one of the following organizations:
will be activated at 11:45AM (15 minutes prior to the start of the service) As a courtesy to the Goodman family, it is imperative that upon entry into Zoom, kindly ensure that your microphone is properly muted, so as not to affect the audio or video stream.
~ Thank You ~
The family will receive visitors for condolences and Shiva following the funeral and on Saturday, January 10th, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the home of Ron and Elizabeth Goodman.
