Howard Goldman

Our beloved, thoughtful, passionate, kind, idiosyncratic, highly opinionated but soft-spoken, deeply generous, and generally delightful father, husband, grandfather, cousin, and friend of the heart, Howard Goldman died in Thailand on the morning of Monday, April 6 at the age of seventy four. 

His loved and caring wife of twenty five years, Lek, and their adored granddaughter, Tasha, were by his side.  

He is deeply mourned by his daughter, Avra, and son, Jonah, as well as his daughter-in-law, Trang, and son in-law, Ben, and his treasured grandchildren, Michael, Hazel & Theo, who were all with him at home last month and shared endearing and esoteric talks, philosophical ponderings, and Howard’s trademark chuckle, which he fortunately passed on to his offspring. He also leaves to mourn his step-son Frankie, and Frankie’s wife Ploy, parents of Tasha, and Lek’s extended family who claimed him as their own.

Well-loved son of the late Eileen and the late Theodor (Ted) Goldman. Brother and brother-in-law of the late Rozanne and the late Seth Leznoff. Dear uncle of Daniel Leznoff. He will be fondly remembered by his aunt Madeleine Ritz.

Howard was not destined to follow in conventional footsteps but brought his brilliance to bear in all his professional and other endeavours - whether creating a tea empire with his cousin David, sweeping chimneys, or teaching Thai students English. Several years after moving to Thailand, at the age of sixty, Howard began a fulfilling partnership in business; he loved going to the office -- though we were never entirely clear what he did there. Upon retirement, Howard and Lek left Bangkok for the far reaches of rural Thailand, bringing him full circle from the countryside of Quebec to the countryside of Thailand. 

He was a cherished confidante; an appreciated chess opponent; an excellent meat and (especially) potatoes cook. His social circles were many, a testament to his great curiosity, warmth and wide-ranging interests. He loved his family dearly and joined the North America family zoom at least 10 minutes early every week without fail, gave excellent dating advice, and could talk to anyone about anything - among his favorite subjects were sourdough bread and cast-iron frying pans. He leaves very dear friends who will miss him greatly. We will remember Howard’s deep and resonant voice, his wonderful, contagious laugh, and think of him sipping tea (or scotch), grooving to funk, and championing James Brown at every turn.

His funeral will take place in Thailand.  Avra and Jonah and their families will be hosting a virtual shiva and hope that you can join them in remembering their father.