Adrienne Goldsmith

Adrienne Goldsmith died peacefully in her home on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the age of 78. A lifelong artist and writer, Adrienne Kessler was born in Manhattan on November 2, 1933. At the age of 11, while a student at P.S. 52 in NYC, she was noticed by Superman creator Joe Schuster, who was dating her older sister. He encouraged her to create her own comic strip, from which "Katy Kitten" was born. She graduated from Barnard College in 1954, where she majored in zoology and was also active in publicity and drama. Following college, she won an 18 month scholarship to the New York Academy of Design. After a brief stint in advertising, she moved to Los Angeles to work as an art director for the Malcolm Steinlauf fashion agency. Her next career move was to the thriving animation industry of the late 1950s. She joined Jay Ward Productions in 1959 as a character model designer, helping to create the beloved flying squirrel and talking moose of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show." Adrienne not only designed characters but also inspired them; Natasha Fatale's character was based in part on her short skirts and flamboyant personality. Adrienne married Werner Goldsmith in 1961 and moved to Berkeley, where he was on the faculty. She embraced the Bay Area peace movement, taking part in protests on Telegraph Avenue and People's Park, often with her two young children in tow. She loved being a mom and directed her creativity towards her children with wildly imaginative birthday parties and Berkeley Hills block parties. She returned to Los Angeles and the animation industry in 1969, working for Hanna Barbara on The Flintstones and Scooby Doo. She later became a technical writer and illustrator for Lockheed in Los Angeles and Aerojet in Alabama. She adored the south and adopted both its cooking style and southern drawl. After the birth of her second grandchild, Adrienne returned to Northern California to be close to her family. She settled in Santa Rosa at Bethlehem Towers, where she was known as a colorful and lively character. Her creativity was unbounded; she was always undertaking some new endeavor in art, music, writing, or an animated musical combining all three. She loved to draw, and every blank paper throughout her home was quickly filled with doodles of crazy characters reminiscent of her bygone animation era. She embraced technology, especially powerpoint, which she used to create wild and crazy emails full of dancing cows, unusual characters and sounds, music, and loving thoughts. She was a lifelong learner, taking classes in everything from algebra to medicine, opera to ancient Chinese philosophy; in fact she was attending a class on music in films at the time of her death. Her greatest joy was her grandchildren whom she would shower with love, presents, and stories at every opportunity. Adrienne is survived by her two children: Andrea and Stephen Goldsmith, her grandchildren Michelle Goldsmith, Daniel Salz, and Nicole Salz, her sister Francine Erns, and her nephew Douglas Erns. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 28 at 1:30 p.m. at the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, 1299 El Camino Real in Colma, with burial to follow. A memorial celebrating her life will be held at Bethlehem Towers on Sunday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m.