Marion S. Goodman, 93, died from congestive heart failure on Jan. 23 at her home in Damariscotta. She was born in Denver, Col. on March 3, 1920 to Benjamin and Francis (Brenner) Slater.
Marion married her high school sweetheart, Irving Goodman, in Boulder, Col. Marion graduated from New York University in 1942, received her Master of Education degree from the University of Colorado in 1944 and received her teaching certification and licensing from Bank Street College of Education.
Marion was a lifelong educator and a pioneering advocate for childcare and parenting programs throughout her professional life in Colorado, New York and in Maine. Wherever she lived, she left her imprint, tirelessly working to make her community a better place for those in need, a drive that was motivated by her powerful belief in civil rights, peace and social justice.
In 1966, while living in Westchester County, N.Y., Marion founded and served as Executor Director of the Union Child Day Care Center housed in a Baptist church in her community which became the first such center licensed for infant care in New York State. Marion was instrumental in expanding New York State laws on childcare. In 1970 she was recognized by then New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller for her work when he visited the Union Child Day Care Center and asked her to stand by his side for photographs by the press as he signed five pieces of legislation that Marion played a key role in passage by the New York State legislature.
Marion and her husband, who died in 1988, moved from New York to Damariscotta in 1981 upon his retirement from the faculty of Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. Soon after settling in Damariscotta, Marion founded and served as Executive Director of the Parent Child Development Corporation known in Lincoln County and throughout the state as the Parent Resource Center. The Parent Resource Center remained open for 20 years until her retirement in 2001.
Marion received many accolades for her work in Maine. In 1988 Marion was invited to a reception at Blaine House in Augusta where she was congratulated on her accomplishments by then Governor John McKernan.
On March 3, 1989 Marion was a recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Award for her outstanding volunteer service in a ceremony that was televised live on NBC. The host of the award ceremony asked Marion to address the television audience upon receiving the Jefferson Award. That same year Marion received special recognition for her volunteer service from then President George H. W. Bush who wrote to congratulate her on her “commitment to community service” and bestowed upon her one of the “thousand points of light.” Also in 1989 then U.S. Senator and later Secretary of Defense William Cohen wrote to acknowledge Marion’s many years of volunteer community service and to congratulate her for having received the Jefferson Award. The Maine state legislature issued a proclamation in April 1989, sponsored by then Maine State Representative Marge Kilkelly, congratulating Marion for her dedication to community service, for her many years of volunteer work in Lincoln County and for having been a recipient of the Jefferson Award.
Marion traveled extensively. She and her husband lived for three years in Cambridge, England; Brussels, Belgium; and Paris, France while he worked there. They returned to the U.S. to raise a family and pursue their careers. Wherever Marion lived and worked, she developed life long friendships. Her family and her friends respected her and loved her deeply.
Marion is survived by her children, Alexander Goodman, Steven Goodman, Benjamin Goodman and Jacqueline Goodman; and grandchildren, Samuel Draper, Rachel Draper, Anna Goodman, Theodore Goodman, Amelia Goodman, Louise Goodman, Celeste Goodman, Austin Goodman, and Elias Goodman.
Celebrations of Marion’s life will be held in New York and in Maine on dates that are to be determined. An announcement will be placed in the newspaper with the dates and locations once confirmed.
Memories and condolences may be sent to the family online at www.directcremationofmaine.com or by mail at PO Box 129, Damariscotta, ME 04543.
