Deborah G. "Gold" Friedman

Shifrah Devorah (Gold) Friedman, known to friends and family as Deborah and a fiercely intelligent and quietly heroic woman who shaped the lives of everyone around her with grace, grit, and love, passed away at the age of 90 on February 1, 2026. Born on December 2, 1935, Deborah was adopted from a Brooklyn foundling home at six months old and raised by her devoted parents, Morris and Sarah Gold, in the Bronx, New York. Though she never met her birth family, she was deeply cherished by the parents who raised her with love and care.

A precocious and gifted child, Deborah attended PS 94 and later the prestigious Bronx High School of Science, where she graduated at the age of 16. She began her college education at City College of New York, becoming the first in her family to attend college, and later earned a degree in psychology through her determination and persistence while raising a family and navigating the demands of military life.

In 1952, Deborah married Marvin L. Friedman, a young U.S. Air Force officer from the neighborhood she grew up in. Together, they had four children, and over the course of his career, called more than 10 places across the United States and abroad home. Through these relocations, Deborah served as the steady center of a household in motion, raising her children to be fiercely curious and independent.

After the family relocated to Israel in the early 1970s and her marriage ended, Deborah redefined herself once again - this time as a single mother and professional. With limited resources and facing cultural and legal challenges, she rose through the ranks of the insurance industry, becoming a respected marine insurance broker known for her professionalism and integrity. When she returned to the United States in the 1980s, she started over yet again, rebuilding her career and her life with unshakable resolve.

Deborah had a sharp mind and a boundless love of learning. She delighted in reading, solving math problems in her head, and sharing her passion for literature and poetry with her children and grandchildren. A voracious reader, she would frequently get up before her household was awake to enjoy a cup of coffee and greet the day reading.

She is survived by her four children: Sharon (Friedman) Mason (husband Ralph Mason), Michael Friedman, Dovya Friedman (husband George Hausner), and Erica (Friedman) Hodgson (husband Paul Hodgson), six grandchildren: Daniel Mason, Eric Mason, Brian Mason, Jacob Hausner, Zoe Hausner, and Edith Hodgson - and the countless lives she touched with her compassion, intelligence, and quiet strength.

Deborah's legacy is not only in the family she nurtured and the work she accomplished, but in the example she set: to persevere through adversity, to stand tall in the face of injustice, and to believe in the power of personal reinvention. She will be deeply missed, forever cherished, and always remembered.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00am on Thursday, February 5, 2026 at Goldman Funeral Chapel, 174 Ferry Street, Malden, MA. The family will be sitting shiva at the home of her daughter, Sharon Mason, 50 Chestnut Street, Andover, MA on Thursday, 2/5 from 3:30pm – 8pm and on Friday, 2/6 from noon to 4:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Deborah's name to the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (jfew.org) or to Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (rac.org), reflecting her lifelong commitment to education, equity, and empowerment.

To watch the service webcast click the link below:

Deborah Friedman Service Live Stream Link