Norma Goodman, 95

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CRANSTON, R.I. – Norma B. Goodman passed away peacefully on Dec. 19, 2020, after a full and long life. She was beloved by many and will be sadly missed by those who knew her. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, a daughter of the late Bertram and Ann (Insoft) Bromberg, on Dec. 28, 1925, she was the devoted wife of Professor Elliot R. Goodman.

She graduated from Brookline High School and then attended the University of New Hampshire, Simmons College and Indiana University, before graduating from Sarah Lawrence College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

During the WWII, in Washington D.C., she was an assistant to William Donovan, head of the Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency.

After the war, she married Elliot R. Goodman in New York City while he completed his doctorate at Columbia University. During that time, she and Elliot had daughter Laura and son Jordan. They moved to Providence in 1955 where Elliot began a long tenure as a Political Science professor at Brown University. They moved to Cranston in 1958 where son Roger was born in 1961.

Norma was actively involved in many community activities for decades, including serving on the board of the YMCA of Cranston, as vice president of the Council of Jewish Women, as president of the board of the Council of Community Services, as a charter member of the Providence Preservation Society, on the board of United Way of Rhode Island, on the board of the League of Women Voters and as the founder of the community services agency Volunteers in Action.

She is survived by her children Laura Goodman Humphrey of Portsmouth, Jordan Goodman of Elmsford, New York, and Roger Goodman of Kirkland, Washington; sister Ruth Singer; and grandchildren Graham Humphrey, Leah Humphrey and Jason, Vivian and Felix Goodman.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the United Way of Rhode Island, 50 Valley St., Providence, RI 02909 or www.uwri.org.

obituary, Norma Goodman