Susan Brown Goldsmith died peacefully on Jan. 23, 2021. A fighter for women’s rights and equal opportunity, she finally succumbed to Parkinson’s and dementia. Married to Joel Goldsmith, who predeceased her, she leaves three children and their spouses; David and Marie, Jill and Perry, John and Catherine, plus four grandchildren Alex, Ben, Matthew and Allie. She is also survived by many wonderful friends and relatives, whose lives she touched with her vibrant energy.
Susan and her sister Carol grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughters of Cecile Roth and David Brown. After graduating from Walnut Hills High School, Susan left her roots for new horizons. She traveled by train to attend Connecticut College, even though she had never visited the school.
Diploma in hand, she moved to New York City and became a working woman, when the expected path at that time was to get married and become a homemaker. In 1957, she married Joel. Soon after they moved to the suburb of Chappaqua, New York where they started their family and a retail clothing store named Whigg’s. Together, they ran the business in four locations over 25 years, including a store in Wellfleet during the summers. This led to many happy times at the beach and their Truro home became the central gathering place for friends and family for decades.
She loved and cherished her late husband Joel and together they travelled by bicycle to various corners of the globe, sampling bakeries and admiring gardens.
In 1992, after Joel’s death, she made a bold move to leave Chappaqua as a widow to open a new chapter in Cambridge, MA, which also brought her closer to her dear Truro (Cape Cod), where tennis was a major pastime. She loved her time in Cambridge – taking classes at Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, and enjoying all that the city offered.
She adored her family, especially her grandchildren, who called her Bird — a nickname Joel had given her, as she was always flitting about. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008, her final courageous move was across the country to San Francisco to be closer to family.
The family would like to thank her loving and talented caregivers as well as the staff at The Sequoias of San Francisco, all of whom worked hard to care for Susan and made her comfortable during the last chapter of her life.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood or the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation.
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