Howard I. Goldstein
October 18, 1947 – July 29, 2021
Howard Ira Goldstein, 73, of Newton, Massachusetts, passed away on July 29, 2021, surrounded by the love of his devoted family and friends after a long struggle with prostate cancer.
Howie was so many things to so many people, and the world does not look the same without him in it.
He was a pioneer in the field of collaborative law in Massachusetts through his firm Goldstein & Bilodeau P.C., working as a compassionate and gifted family law attorney for decades and serving clients in their most challenging moments through his enduring belief in mediation as a tool to keep families emotionally intact at the end of a marriage.
After his initial cancer diagnosis in 2007, he became a relentless advocate for funding for prostate cancer research and awareness at the Massachusetts State House, working tirelessly to ensure that adequate testing and early detection tools were available in all communities. He also served on the board and was deeply committed to the work of Oneinforty, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the risk of inheriting BRCA gene mutations (which he had and made his cancer far more challenging to treat) and provides the support individuals and families need to effectively manage their cancer risk.
Howie was also a committed political volunteer and advocate, and believed in politics as a means of uplifting leaders committed to the fight for justice, civil rights, and fairness. His work in politics over the decades brought him into the trenches of campaigns from Bobby Kennedy to Father Robert Drinan, to Governors Michael Dukakis and Deval Patrick, and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
He was also incredibly passionate about his Jewish faith and advocacy within Boston’s vibrant Jewish community — serving at different times in leadership roles within his synagogue, Temple Emanuel of Newton, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, among many others. Howie’s final trip before his cancer made travel impossible was a long awaited journey to Israel with his daughter Jennifer and son Alex, where he was able to walk the streets of Jerusalem one last time, eat a good falafel (or six), and pray with and for his family at the Western Wall.
Howie lived a life of authenticity and humility, eschewing fancy people and fancy things for the simple pleasures in life. He loved a good piece of lemon pound cake, a cup of decaf coffee, and the privilege of being present around the table with good friends and his adoring family, or sitting at the piano and belting out some of his favorite oldies. He was a peacemaker and the purest of souls that could put people at ease by his mere presence, and the reverberations of his loss will be felt for many, many years to come.
Howie had more dear friends and colleagues than anyone knew how to adequately count and keep track of, and they relied upon him daily for his unsurpassed wisdom, love, and deeply empathetic ear. They will miss him so very much.
Most of all, Howie was an incredibly loving husband to his wife Miriam, to whom he was married for 45 years; a devoted, proud and endlessly supportive father to his children Jennifer and Alex; and a doting grandfather to his granddaughters Eloise and Vivienne.
In addition to his wife and two children, Howie leaves behind his son-in-law David, his daughter-in-law Alyssa, his sisters Donna and Tina, his niece and nephews Judi, Jake, David, and Zachary. His brother-in-law Stewart and his wife Liz, his sister-in-law Betsy and her husband Don, and an extended family of cousins who loved him.
His legacy is one of tremendous love, kindness, humility, and peace that we should all aspire to carry forward in his absence.
Funeral, burial, and shiva, were held privately due to the ongoing COVID pandemic.
Donations in his name are encouraged to the organization Oneinforty.org. We are all so grateful for the love and outpouring of support and kindness following his passing. May his memory be a blessing, always.
