Barbara Nan Goodman

1950 - 2026

Barbara Nan Goodman
04/25/1950 - 03/05/2026
Barbara Nan Goodman passed away on March 5, 2026, at the age of 75 after a 10-year battle with lung cancer. During her treatment, she also developed Type 1 diabetes as a result of immunotherapy.
Barbara was born in Detroit, Michigan and spent most of her life in the Bay Area of California. She earned her bachelor's degree in Social Science from Michigan State University in 1972 and later received a master's degree in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in 1998.
She dedicated much of her career to public service, working in various roles for the County of Marin, where she served for 30 years before retiring in 2010.
Barbara had a deep curiosity about the world and traveled extensively throughout her life, visiting places such as Bali, Africa, Vietnam, Brazil, Peru, Nepal, Ecuador, Europe, Central America, and Mexico. She also volunteered in El Salvador, Brazil, and Costa Rica. She loved learning about different cultures and connecting with people from all walks of life. In her free time, she especially enjoyed the outdoors and hiking.
She was also an outspoken and unapologetic liberal who believed strongly in civic engagement and demonstrated in Washington, D.C. during the Vietnam War era in support of peace, abortion rights, and women's rights.
In retirement, Barbara devoted her time to volunteering as an usher at theaters throughout the Bay Area.
She had recently moved to a zen community in Healdsburg, CA, where upon her passing, a Zen Buddhist ceremony was held with the 108 chimes. She will be remembered as kind, generous, often silly, and fabulously sarcastic. She is survived by several nieces and nephews and their families, and her wonderful dog, Murphy.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice- as long as, in Barbara's own words, "it is not the Republican Party". So it is no coincidence that this is published on No Kings Day.