Murray A. Goldenberg

1932 - 2014

Goldenberg, Murray A. Was born October 31, 1932 in New York, to immigrants from the Soviet Union. Murray met the former Rose Rosenberg of New York in college and married. He began working in the textile trade, and accepted an opportunity with them in Dallas. In 1959 he started his own textile business from his apartment and quickly found success. It continues to operate as Murray A. Goldenberg Textiles in Carrollton, TX. The business grew considerably over the years including having contracts nationally with Walmart, and offered both wholesale and retail transactions. He worked daily in the office until 2011 when he turned over his President and CEO duties to others he had mentored in the business. He remained proud of his employees and the business' accomplishments in an industry that had its peaks and valleys in the U.S. After Rose Goldenberg died tragically in a motor vehicle accident, Murray later married Haia Wolfe Goldenberg in 1984. Murray was an avid painter and photographer, and traveled extensively through the United States, Europe, Israel, Asia, and South America. He was a longtime member of Congregation Tiferet Israel in Dallas. He was also an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, holding season tickets for several decades until the closure of Texas Stadium. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of jokes and could tell one on just about any topic. Murray loved all forms of music, and had a vast collection, from classical to jazz to even more modern forms. His love for jazz prompted him to open a jazz club, the 6051 Club, in North Dallas which closed in 1983. He was a patron of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Opera, and the Dallas Museum of Art and contributed to numerous Israeli causes including a Founders Gift in honor of his mother to support the emergency department at Hadassah Medical Center. He was a regular supporter of State of Israel bonds. He was born with a heart defect, and his parents were told that it was likely he would not outlive late childhood. Only as an adult had surgical approaches advanced so that it could be repaired. He attended Dewitt Clinton High School in The Bronx and subsequently enrolled and graduated from City College of New York. At age 26 he developed a brain abscess related to his heart defect that required draining and resulted in a complication of bacterial meningitis. Initial attempts at antibiotic therapy were not successful, but an agent still under investigative trials was used and saved his life. He was in Baylor for six months. At 30 years of age, surgeons at University of Alabama-Birmingham had pioneered the technique to repair his particular heart defect, and he successfully underwent the procedure. Murray is survived by his wife, Haia Wolfe Goldenberg, his three children, Mark Goldenberg (Stacey)of Baltimore, Cyd Friedman (Cliff) of Dallas, and Gregg Goldenberg (Joy) of Long Island, New York. He has six grandchildren, Ephraim, Shoshana, Elisheva, Leah, Chana and Penina and six more (Daniel, Ariella, Jonathan, Noam, Zach, and Aaron) through his step-son Gil Wolfe (Buffalo, NY) and step-daughter Devra Lehmann (Ron) of Raanana, Israel. Funeral services were Sunday, February 15th. Donations can be made to Congregation Tiferet Israel on Hillcrest Rd. in Dallas or Hadassah Medical Center.