Albert GOLDBERG

1928 - 2016

GOLDBERG, Albert
Albert Goldberg died peacefully in the presence of loved ones on Saturday, September 24. He was 88 years old. Although he had struggled with illness for several months, he maintained his lively interest and involvement in his family, friends, and the larger world until nearly the end. Many will remember and have been touched by his exceptional generosity and devotion to family, friends, and community. He will be sorely missed by the many people whose lives he touched. Albert Goldberg was born in 1928 in Boston, Massachusetts to Matilda and Israel Goldberg. He attended public schools in his Roxbury neighborhood and then Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he earned his B.S. in chemical engineering. Immediately upon graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Judith Kramer Goldberg, to whom he was lovingly married for 53 years, until the latter's death in 2002. Also following graduation, he and Judy moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts, where he joined his brother, Herbert, and his father in the family business, National Felt Company. Along with his brother, he owned and ran National Felt Company until 1988. Together, the two brothers turned a small and struggling factory into a thriving textile business employing many men and women in the Western Massachusetts area. With the sale of the family business, Albert retired, spending the majority of the year in Palm Beach, Florida, and the remainder in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. For the past fourteen years, he shared his life with his beloved partner, Miriam Lieff, who survives him. Albert held many positions and supported many causes particularly in his local community. Among other positions, he served as President and long time board member of Congregation Sons of Zion in Holyoke, and served as President and longtime board member of the American Cancer Society in Holyoke. He was also a board member of the Holyoke Hospital and Vanguard Savings Bank, as well as an overseer at Williston Academy. He could also be counted on to support many causes in the Jewish and larger community, including Temple Beth El in Springfield and Temple Emanu-El in Palm Beach. Family and friends will remember Albert as a person who showed a lively interest in the people around him, always asking questions and following-up on them at the next encounter. People felt that he cared about them, and he did. In addition to Miriam Lieff, he is survived by his three children, Steven Goldberg, Harvey Goldberg, and Michelle Marcus; by his seven grandchildren, Abby Goldberg, Maryl Goldberg Sackeim, David Goldberg, Mara Feil, Stephanie Goldberg, Seth Marcus, and Jaimee Marcus; and his three great-grandchildren, Jonah Sydney Goldberg Hechinger, Cooper Riley Sackeim, and Clayton Fiel and. He was lovingly involved in the lives of Miriam's children, Stephen, Lisa, and Sharon, and grandchildren, Gillian and Alizah, and as well as in those of his nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, to whom he was "uncle Papa." He leaves all of them with warm and loving memories of a life well and fully lived. Funeral services will be Monday Sept. 26th in Springfield, MA with burial to follow in Florida.
To express condolences and/or make donations: Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries