Daniel Goodman

1945 - 2012

"Ever the teacher at heart"

Our world and lives are substantially diminished by the loss of a unique intellect and old soul with the untimely passing of our beloved husband, father, brother, friend and colleague. Daniel passed away on Nov. 14 due to unexpected complications during and after surgery on Oct. 29 at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas.

Daniel was born May 20, 1945 to Bernice and Joseph Goodman in Cincinnati, Ohio. After his father's premature death when Daniel was a preteen, the family moved to Jerusalem, Israel where Daniel attended high school. He returned to the USA to complete his BS and Ph.D. in Biology at Ohio State University. Subsequently he completed postdoctoral studies at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and then in 1975, accepted the first of his professional academic appointments at Scripps Oceanic Institute in La Jolla, California.

Daniel made numerous personal and professional friends with whom he maintained lifelong relationships. Those who knew him recognized his rare intellect, unparalleled integrity and unwavering dedication to maintaining his preferred lifestyle. One of his greatest joys was communing with nature. He reminisced fondly of his childhood and early adult outdoor adventures including the months of research on Alaska glaciers and in the Galapagos Islands. By 1980, that deep and abiding love and respect for the natural world compelled him to jump at the opportunity to live his dream, and he accepted an academic position in the Biology (now Ecology) Department at Montana State University where he cultivated satisfying professional and mentor relationships with numerous colleagues and graduate students over the 31 years of his tenure while spending his free time in the great outdoors; hiking, canoeing, hunting, and fishing. During his long career, he also served as a consultant and advisor to numerous governmental and private agencies including NOAA, the Marine Mammal Commission, EPA, the Northwest Power Planning Council, the National Marine Fisheries Service, The National Academy of Sciences, and many others. He dedicated much of his research career and studies to mathematical modeling and statistical analyses of endangered species.

In 1981 he met Diane Brawner in Bozeman. They married in 1986, and in 1993 their beloved daughter Rollie was born. She added a wondrous new adventure to his life, and became his mini-me and most ardent admirer. Like all of us, she remains astounded at the depth and breadth of his knowledge and abilities. Few are the dauntless who could compete with his boundless intellect, but Rollie was one of them. The admiration was mutual, and he marveled as she grew into a beautiful and talented woman. She, in turn, looked to him for guidance, intellectual challenge and approval.

Dan is survived by his wife, Diane (Brawner) of Bozeman, his daughter Rollie Goodman of Portland OR, his sister Miriam Goodman of Jerusalem, numerous aunts and cousins both in the USA and Israel, and a cadre of dear friends and professional colleagues throughout the world. He left a huge footprint professionally, but his uniqueness, his unwavering consistency and self-assurance, his intellectual prowess; as well as his warmth, loyalty, wit, and quiet, profound nature will leave a hole in our hearts and lives. We cannot imagine life without him.

At the request of Daniel's family, in lieu of flowers, friends and family are asked to make a donation in his memory to their favorite charitable organization.

A memorial for Daniel will take place on Dec. 1, 2012 at 11 a.m. in the Procastinator Theater in the Student Union Building on the Montana State University campus.