Dr. Herbert J. Goldstein

Dr. Herbert Jay Goldstein of Beaumont, Texas, died on Nov. 25, 2020 at in skilled nursing care in Pittsburgh, PA. He was 97 years old. Although advanced in years he was holding his own until the lockdown and eventually contracted Covid19 which contributed to his demise. He was born on Sept. 20. 1923 in Queens, New York to Abraham and Dagmar Goldstein. He attended New York University, where he received his doctorate degree in chemistry. He served in the medical corps of US Army during WWII. He married Elizabeth (Bonnie) Markowitz and they had four children.  

He began his career as a chemist with Dupont in Wilmington DE and subsequently went to work for TexasUS Chemicals in Parisppany NJ and settled in White Meadow Lake, NJ where he, along with his wife Bonnie, raised their family.  In 1977 TexasUS closed its NJ facility and the family was relocated to Beaumont, TX where he spent the next 31 years.  During his time at TexasUS and then Ameripol/Synpol he rose to the rank of Director of Research and Development and retired after more than 40 years of service with more than 50 patents to his name. 

In the last few years at his advanced age, he needed more help and took one last road trip to Pittsburgh where he was beloved by those who met him. As a lifelong public radio fan, he enjoyed the local NPR station in Pittsburgh as he had enjoyed KVLU in Beaumont. He loved going out for dinner to exotic restaurants and visiting his daughter Abby on Sundays to watch football and hockey games. Even as he battled the effects of COVID-19, the nurses in his isolation unit commented on how sharp he was, especially for a 97-year-old man.  

He was a very intelligent and learned man. As the son of a physician and registered nurse and a PhD himself. Herb had deep respect for good education and sat on the Rockaway Township school board when he lived in New Jersey. After retirement, he taught Sunday School classes at Temple Emanuel in Beaumont, TX. He was also very active with the synagogue and attended Shabbat services weekly for many years. He served as president of the Temple Emanuel Brotherhood for a time and my mother was president of Sisterhood. Together, they opened their arms to newcomers to the synagogue and frequently had them over for dinner. The Goldsteins were the warmest welcome wagon in town.   

Herb Goldstein loved to travel.  He got it from his father who drove the family to Michigan every summer in the days before highways were built when part of the trip consisted of dirt roads.  Wanderlust was part of his psyche even to the end.  He traveled to Japan and South Africa for work and had many adventures. He felt most at home, though, behind the wheel of a car.  In 1972 he took the family on the prototypical cross-country road trip from NJ to Disneyland and up the coast of California. While not quite as over the top as National Lampoon’s Vacation it was the subject of many a fond memory, including befriending the Ringling Brothers Circus at the Holiday Inn pool in Tucson and meeting someone in Muir Woods who had bought a car from his cousin in NJ.

Herb Goldstein was a friendly person.  He loved to shop, and his cupboard was always stocked with goodies.   He would hold court at the HEB talking to strangers and fondly greeting the workers whom he saw regularly.  When I would go to Beaumont to take him on his errands it was like he was the mayor of Beaumont, everyone knew him and had a smile for him, and he knew about them and their families and always asked about how everyone was doing. 

He was a funny man, always quick with a joke or a witty quip. We have many hilarious stories of moments when his sense of humor dominated family gatherings. He always managed to find a one-liner for every situation.  

He was a competitive person and was a competitive swimmer in his youth.  He was an avid golfer, member of the USGA and played golf multiple times a week until he was 90 years old. He played bridge, all manner of cards and was a particularly bad poker player.  Part of his nightly after diner ritual with his wife Bonnie was a game of Scrabble, Rummicube or a card game called Spite and Malice, which was always referred to as Spike and Alice.  All of the Goldstein children got their love of games and competitive spirit from him. 

He was proud of his cooking ability and used to jokingly say that his wife, Bonnie, couldn’t’ boil water successfully before he met her. He also loved to bake bread and brought home made Challah to services every week.  Like anything he put his mind to he became an expert and produced bread superior to anything else that was available. During his latter years Sunday Brunch was always spent with his daughter Linda with bagels, lox, pickled herring and other assorted goodies. 

Dr. Goldstein is survived by his four children Linda Goldstein of Beaumont, Texas, Alan Goldstein and wife Kim of Austin, Texas, Abby Kumpel and husband Jason and Arthur Goldstein and wife Melanie as well as granddaughter Kate Goldstein Vann, husband Adam and children Isabel, Benjamin and Juliana. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Bonnie.

Memorial contributions may be made to Temple Emanuel Building Fund, 1120 Broadway, Beaumont, Texas 77701. 

A graveside service for Dr. Goldstein will be held 11:00 a.m., Sunday, November 29, 2020, at Hebrew Rest Cemetery, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. 

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