Tributes

Renee Goldman (1927 - 2019)

Posted July 26, 2019
In honor of Renee Goldman (August 1, 1927 - November 14, 2019).

Renee was one of the few people I know who could always make lemonade from lemons. Her spirit was amazing. I will miss her terribly.
~ Linda Grunbaum, LCSW, New York, NY

Renee was a past president of the Society of NYSPP (1980-82) and a vital member of the NYSPP community for many years. I always enjoyed seeing and being with Renee as she was the most enthusiastic, engaging, warm, and open woman. I will personally miss her as I know those NYSPP members who knew and worked with her for years will as well.
~ Carol Thea, LCSW, BCD, New York, NY

I have known Renee for almost fifty years, a lifetime enriched by my friendship with her. We met as students in a psychoanalytic training program directed by Gertrude and Rubin Blanck and we shared many good times and sad times ever since. As I think of Renee today, deeply saddened as I am by her death, I think of how engaged she always was in life and with those she loved. I think of her enthusiasm, her quick sense of humor and the way in which she lived each day to the fullest. So many things gave her joy -- her family, her many friends, her practice of psychoanalysis, her colleagues' appreciation of her fine papers, her association with the homeless men she served at her local soup kitchen, her folk dancing, her travel, the devoted care she received from the fine aides she had when she became ill, her joy in her summer home and the pleasure she derived from her garden, and more. I knew personally what a fine clinician Renee was, for she treated an elderly aunt of mine, making it possible for my aunt to enjoy her last days more fully. I also knew personally what a wonderful friend she could be. I was most fortunate in having her understanding, her wisdom, her sense of fun and her support for so many years, and I am immensely grateful.
~ Joyce Edward, MSW, Jefferson Ferry, NY

Renee Goldman was an extraordinary human being and clinician. She worked with patients past her 90th year. She was beloved by all who knew her. We all felt heard and understood by her. She was able to take us deeper into our understanding of ourselves. On my last visit to Renee she spoke of the advantages of old age: having experienced a productive and meaningful career; feeling free from earlier responsibilities; being cared for instead of always caring for others; and achieving self-confidence and pride regarding her knowledge of herself and others. We also have the legacy of her wonderful papers, such as “Psychoanalysis Later in Life: A Clinician’s Perspective as Analyst and Patient.” But Renee will mostly be remembered for her twinkling eyes, wit, intelligence and compassion, all housed in that tiny package.
~ Susan Sherman, DSW, LCSW, New York, NY

I met Renee at Trudy Blanck's seminar held in her living room; what a wonderful experience. I often drove Renee from the Westside to the Eastside from the Seminar. Her comments and reviews of our new learning were remarkable. From that time on I enjoyed her company. When she visited her friend and partner on weekends in Merrick, I would pick her up at the train station. We would have lunch while discussing psychoanalysis and our current life happenings. She had wonderful insights and ideas, also about clothing. She was a dear friend, and we loved and admired each other. Her paper, "Uneveness in Aging,” presented to a NYSPP meeting is extremely informative of the later years. I hope to get it published. I will miss her.
~ Patsy Turrini, LCSW, Merrick, NY

Renee Goldman was full of life and spirit. I knew her through her colleague and friend, the late Diana Siskind, who recommended Renee as a panelist for a New York area AAPCSW program Transitions and Anxieties in Today’s World in 2012. Renee received a standing ovation for her paper “Psychoanalysis Later in Life: A Clinician’s Perspective as Analyst and Patient,” which she also presented at a national AAPCSW conference in 2013. Renee lived life to its fullest later in life, including her clinical practice, dancing, volunteering in a soup kitchen, and much more. She will be missed.
~ Penny Rosen, MSW, LCSW, BCD-P, New York, NY

I remember Renee as full of life. She was open to learning and evolving, starting to write later in life, ready for a new relationship in life, comfortably open about herself with no need to impress. She had early significant losses in her life but had a certain optimistic toughness which I found appealing. She was generous with compliments and was always interested in continual self-examination. I will miss her.
~ Iris Sugarman, LCSW, New York, NY