Obituaries

Ray A. Goldberg of Cambridge and Centerville, the pioneering founder of the systems approach to the global food economy which he coined “agribusiness”, died peacefully at home on February 16, 2026 at the age of 99. Over a career that spanned more than seven decades at the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Kennedy School he helped redefine how the world understands the interconnected systems that bring food from farm to table, shaping both academic thought and industry practice through his teaching, research, and an extraordinary network of former students, colleagues, and collaborators who carried his ideas forward across the global food system.

Born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota, Professor Goldberg’s early hands-on experience in his father’s grain elevators shaped a lifelong curiosity about how food systems function and how they might work better and more holistically. He came east to Harvard for his education, receiving his A.B. from Harvard University in 1948 and his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1950 before completing his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota in 1952. Together with his mentor and colleague John H. Davis, he coined the term “agribusiness,” establishing a new field of study that brought together agriculture, economics, industry, and public policy. What began as an academic framework became a lens through which governments, companies, and researchers around the world would come to understand the challenges and opportunities of feeding a growing global population.

At Harvard Business School, where he spent the majority of his academic career, Professor Goldberg introduced the first course in agribusiness, an integrated approach that examined the entire food system — from inputs and production to processing, distribution, and the consumer, ultimately serving as the George M. Moffett Professor of Agriculture and Business shaping generations of students and industry leaders through teaching that combined academic rigor with practical engagement in the evolving global food system. Professor Goldberg believed that the challenges facing the global food system could only be addressed through collaboration across disciplines and institutions. At Harvard Business School, he founded the Agribusiness Senior Management Seminars, bringing together leaders from across the food and agriculture sectors. He also led the annual PAPSAC (Private and Public Scientific, Academic and Consumer Food Policy Group) forum at the Kennedy School, which convened key participants from all segments of the global food system for frank, off-the-record problem-solving discussions.

Even after retiring from Harvard Business School in 1997, Professor Goldberg remained deeply engaged in teaching and mentorship. He continued to teach Food Policy and Agribusiness at the John F. Kennedy School of Government until 2015 and led an undergraduate seminar at Harvard College examining the impact of climate change on the global food system.

His professional accomplishments were matched by a deep devotion to his family, who remained at the center of his life throughout his long career. He was married to his beloved wife, Thelma Englander, for 58 years until her death in 2015, a partnership that began, as he loved to tell it, when he proposed to her on their first date. Together they enjoyed worldwide travel and lots of time at their family home on Cape Cod where they engaged in fierce tennis matches with friends and loved to go blue fishing with their children and grandchildren. For almost the past ten years, he has experienced the joy of a second love with his partner Joan Gordon whom he first knew in his undergraduate years.

Over the course of his career, Professor Goldberg authored, co-authored, or edited twenty-three books and more than one hundred ten articles examining how firms, institutions, and governments position themselves within an increasingly complex global food system. He also authored and supervised the development of hundreds of Harvard Business School case studies, many of which became central teaching tools for understanding agribusiness, food policy, and global markets. His later work explored the on-going transformations reshaping agriculture and food production, reflecting his lifelong focus on anticipating change rather than simply describing it.

His influence extended far beyond academia. He served on more than forty boards of directors of major agribusiness firms, farm cooperatives, and technology companies, and advised financial institutions including Rabobank, John Hancock, and Agriculture Technology Partners on agribusiness investment and strategy. He was a founder and the first president of the International Agribusiness Management Association and remained a lifetime advisor to numerous government agencies and private institutions. His public service included work with the National Research Council, advisory roles connected to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Bank, and participation in national and international initiatives focused on agricultural markets, economic development, and global food policy.

Professor Goldberg has served on multiple governmental task forces. These include, as a sampling, serving as Chairman of the Agribusiness Advisory Committee on the Caribbean Basin for the USDA, chairing the National research Council’s Sub-committee on Economic and Social Development on a Global Context, Chairman of the World Bank Advisory Committee in Developing Agricultural Markets, and Chairman of the Task Force to Utilize Tobacco Funds for Economic Development for the State of Kentucky. His work also reflected his belief that agriculture and food systems were inseparable from broader global change and he participated in the Presidential Mission to Poland in 1989 and helped lead international seminars and research initiatives addressing food management and agricultural development across Europe and emerging markets.

He is the recipient of numerous honors including becoming the first American appointed an Honorary Professor and a member of the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, England, appointment as a Foreign Member of the V.I. Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Science, recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Buenos Aires, and the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from Harvard Business School. He was also named a Fellow of the International Agribusiness Management Association in 2004 and a Fellow of the American Agricultural Economics Association in 2005. In 2020 Harvard University established the Ray A. Goldberg Professorship of the Global Food System, the first subject specific professorship under the Provost of the University rather than an individual school at Harvard, reflecting the multi-disciplinary approach to the food system pioneered by Professor Goldberg.

He is survived by his partner Joan, son Marc and wife Lorri, his daughter Jennifer and her husband Bill, his son Jeffrey and his wife Atema; six grandchildren – Rick and his wife Amy, Alyssa and her husband Dan, Meredith and her husband Matt, Michelle and her husband Jason, Nicole and her husband Pablo, and Gabrielle and her fiancé Mordecai; along with nine great-grandchildren — Colby, Lila, Benny, Ella, Miles, Lily, Leo, James and Izzie, and Ruta Ruocys, who provided enormous care, support and love to both Professor Goldberg and his late wife in the last years of the lives.

The immediate family will hold a small, private burial on Professor’s beloved Cape Cod later this week. There will be a public memorial service at Harvard University sometime later this year.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Goldberg Charitable Corporation to Improve the Food System which is dedicated to keeping Professor Goldberg’s legacy active and vital. Checks can be mailed to: Goldberg Charitable Corporation 193 Grove St., Wellesley, MA 02482

Edward “Ed” Alan Levine, 67 of Orrs Island, ME, formerly of New Rochelle NY, and Sharon, MA, passed away surrounded by family, on February 14, 2026. Ed leaves his beloved wife Barbara Nodiff, and his Australian Cattle dog Bogie. He is the son of Lillian Levine, and the late Howard of Sharon, MA. His brother, Gary Levine, sister, Amy Schlegel and her husband Michael. Dear uncle of Sara Rockett and her husband Zack, Samantha Sikula and her husband Joe, Haley Drinkwater and her husband David, Camaron Schlegel, and Adrianna Brethauer and her husband Abel. Ed was the great-uncle of Ally and Ezra Rockett. Ed also leaves a sister and Brother-in-law, Shari and Rick Weinstein, and their children Alana & Naomi.

Ed graduated Sharon High School, and UMASS Amherst with a degree in Journalism.  He worked many years as a newspaper reporter. He had contributed to local media, including The Harpswell Anchor, covering community events and town issues. He was a volunteer fireman for the Orr’s & Bailey Islands Fire Department and served as the Public Information Officer.

Some of Ed’s hobbies included traveling, and gardening, often cultivating his own “favorite plant”. Ed loved to travel, and visited about a dozen countries in Europe. He proposed to his beloved Barb in Austria and went to Amsterdam. several times. Some of his adventures included traveling in the US, including a cruise to Alaska, and visited Las Vegas where he saw “The Dead & Co.” in the Sphere. It should be noted that his Las Vegas adventures included marrying Barb in a helicopter while flying over the Vegas Strip.

Ed was known to be a ham radio operator and collector, and always loved hosting his friends and relatives at his house in Maine during Thanksgiving and New Years.

Ed was a devoted friend and stayed in close contact with a large group of his college buddies for over 45 years. He was part of a 10–12-person weekly zoom session, that began during the pandemic and that he continued to dial into even from his hospital bed. He was extraordinarily generous and regularly opened his home (and extensive vodka collection) for multi-day gatherings with his circle of friends.  He also had an investment club with friends, and they celebrated by taking a trip to Scotland to tour numerous distillers.

May his memory be a blessing.

Family will be sitting Shiva at the Levine Home in Sharon, MA, Wednesday, February 18, 2026 from 2:00 – 8:00 pm and Thursday, 12:00 – 8:00 pm. The family encourages wearing any Boston Team clothing you have! In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Joseph Harris Fine, age 84, of Jamaica Plain, passed away peacefully at home on February 11, 2026.  He leaves the love of his life, his wife Elane, as well as his son, Joshua Fine, and his wife, Erica, and daughter, Alexis Greiner, and her husband, Craig.  He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Sasha, Amanda, and Samuel Fine, Leah and Elliot Greiner, and his sister, Carol Lerner and brother-in-law, Fred, and their family.

Born in Boston, raised in Brookline, Joe enlisted in the Army when he was 19, serving in Japan, thus launching an enduring love of travel and adventure. He met Elane, his partner for those adventures, on a blind date in April 1970, and they were absolutely inseparable for the next 56 years. They were married within a mere six months and baby Josh arrived nine months later. Joe had an ardent entrepreneurial spirit, beginning with the family shoe business in the Boston area, which led to a long career in leather and later, steel. These businesses prompted Joe to move the family to Hong Kong where they lived for over a decade, which suited his adventurous nature quite well, and allowed for extensive travel all over Asia.

In 2001, Joe and Elane found their way back to Boston, as did Josh, Alexis, and their families, where he continued to live life to the fullest. When he wasn’t working, Joe spent his time researching, planning, and going on trips, especially to warmer climates, obsessing over the Patriots and Red Sox, taking care of any car-related tasks for the entire-family, hitting the weights at the gym, and playing poker with his close group friends. Joe will always be remembered for his warmth, affability, vitality, and deep love for Elane and his family.

Services will be held on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 10:30 am at  Temple Beth Avodah, 45 Puddingstone Ln., Newton.  Following interment at Or Emet Cemetery, 776 Baker St., West Roxbury, Shiva at the home of Joshua and Erica Fine on Sunday until 6:00 pm and Monday 3-7pm.

In lieu of flowers, and in honor of Joe, whose strength, courage, and generosity have left a lasting legacy, donations may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund (GR0207085) at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. This fund supports research in multiple myeloma, enhancing bold breakthroughs that improve treatment options and, ultimately, deliver safer and more effective care for patients. Gifts can be made online at https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate or by mail to: MGH Development Office, Attn: Kasey Ahern, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114. Please write “Dr. Noopur Raje – Fund: GR0207085” in the check memo line. Your gift will carry forward Joe’s legacy and his deep commitment to helping others.

Donna “Dawny” Lee Gershkowitz, age 75, of Woburn, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on February 11, 2026 at Sunrise of Wayland.

Donna was a passionate educator, reader, and writer who spent much of her career teaching at Burlington High School, where she touched the lives of many students. Raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of the late Rina and Julius Gershkowitz. She is survived by her brother, Robert Gershkowitz, and his wife, Barbara, their children, Madeline and Jeffrey, and her great-niece, Brooke. She is also survived by several beloved cousins.

An avid Red Sox fan, Donna had a deep love for her many cats over the years. She was an enthusiastic traveler who visited much of the world. She cared deeply for her friends and family and was very involved with Temple Emunah throughout much of her life.

Funeral services will be held at Temple Emunah in Lexington on Sunday, February 15, at 10:30 a.m. followed by interment at Lindwood Memorial Park in Randolph. Shiva at Temple Emunah on Monday, February 16th at 6:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Donna’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or to Temple Emunah.

To view the livestream of the funeral service, please click here.

Maxine Marcus – of Newton, died peacefully at age 84, on February 9, 2026. Beloved wife of Maurice J. Marcus for 64 years. Daughter of the late Bertha Kaner and Barnett Kaner. Devoted mother of Louis Marcus and Jerry Marcus, and devoted mother-in-law to Patricia Marcus, Mamie Marcus, Rick Herrick, and Claudia Becerra. Proud grandmother of Matthew and his partner Kyle, Laura, and Sam. Sister of Elaine Berman and the late Debra Kaner.

Fervent and dedicated supporter of family and friends. Avid music lover, as a pianist, singer, and listener. Loved following her Red Sox (pre-Mookie Betts trade). Ardent reader and cherished book club member for close to 50 years. Well-traveled and always surrounded by love, she lived a full life.

Chapel service at Sharon Memorial Park on Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 1:00 pm. Interment service to follow. Memorial Observance at the home of Maurice and the late Maxine Marcus on Thursday, February 12, 2026 from 4:00pm until 7:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Planned Parenthood.

Complete obituary to follow.

Malcolm Freeman, of Boston, MA, passed away February 9, 2026. A memorial service was at Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA (parking on the Riverway). A memorial reception will be held following services at Temple Israel. In lieu of flowers, donations in Malcolm’s memory may be made to Temple Israel of Boston, or Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.

To view the livestream of the funeral service, please click here.

Alice J. Adler, of Lexington, MA, died on February 7, 2026 at age 90.

Alice conducted pioneering biomedical research and still found time to serve for forty years as a member of Lexington Town Meeting, to sing in the Arlington-Belmont Chorale, to travel adventurously throughout the world, to attend innumerable classical music concerts, to garden—and to raise her three children and bestow attention on her colleagues, friends, and grandchildren.

Before her retirement, Alice most recently held the titles of senior scientist emerita and scientific advisor at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

She grew up in the Bronx near Van Cortlandt Park. She attended the Bronx High School of Science and then earned a chemistry degree from Barnard, a relative novelty for a young woman in 1956. Alice proceeded to attain a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard, advised by George Kistiakowsky (of Manhattan Project fame). Continuing to garner her stellar credentials, she received postdoctoral training at MIT and Oxford. She then worked as a biochemist at Brandeis University before joining Schepens in 1976 to study potential remedies for eye diseases such as macular degeneration (the largest cause of vision loss in senior citizens).

During her career, Alice published 79 scientific articles. At Schepens, she used her creativity and an array of cutting-edge techniques to investigate the retina. When her cat dragged in a dead blue jay, Alice happily experimented on the “donated” bird eye and published the results.

Alice is survived by her longtime partner, physicist Edward S. Ginsberg, of Lexington, MA; her children, Kyle Adler, of San Carlos, CA; Andrew Adler, of Hartsdale, NY; and Carrie Adler, of Santa Cruz, CA; and her grandchildren, Chloe, Celeste, Jeremy, Eliot, Astor, and Paulie. Her husband, the MIT theoretical physicist David Adler, died in 1987. She will be dearly remembered for her kindness, support, brilliance, love of science and the arts, and spirited originality.

A service will be held on February 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM at Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington Street, Newton, MA, interment will follow at Beth Israel Memorial Park, 190 South Street, Waltham, MA. Donations to the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Alice’s honor would be appreciated.

Lenna Boroff Kutner, age 68, of Gloucester and formerly of Auburndale, Plymouth, and Wayland, passed away on February 6, 2026, following a short battle with brain cancer. She was the beloved widow of Robert Kutner and the devoted mother of Daniel Kutner. She also leaves behind her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Susan and Richard Kutner, and their family; as well as her sister-in-law, Janet Kutner.
A native of Brookline, Lenna attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and Northeastern University, where she earned a master’s degree in public administration. She found joy in teaching, introducing middle schoolers to computers in the early 2000s, and with endless patience, doing the same for senior residents in Newton. She later volunteered her time as a librarian at the Auburndale Community Library, helping to keep it open as an independent entity.
A lifelong animal lover, Lenna spent countless days walking her golden retriever Geti at Norumbega Park, making lifelong friends along the way and writing a children’s book, The Magic of Norumbega, centered around the grounds’ history as a former amusement park.
A celebration of life will be planned for a later date, and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lenna’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 or at stjude.org/donate.

Susan R. Lichten passed away peacefully at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln on January 26, 2026 at the age of 102, after a brief illness. Sue is survived by her son Thomas and his wife, Judy, of Chicago, and their three children: Rob and his wife, Joanna, of Evanston; Keith and his partner, Michael, of Oakland and Eugene; and Catie and her partner, Bruno, and their two children, of England. She is also survived by her son John and his wife, Mary Milgrom, of Ipswich, and their daughter Hilary and her husband Seth, and their son, of Newton. Her youngest son, David, predeceased her.

Born in Boston in 1923, she grew up in Newton and Brookline, Massachusetts, graduating from Brookline High School.  She then began her undergraduate studies at Radcliffe College and completed her degree at Bryn Mawr College. Her parents, Kivey and Evelyn Rogers, passed away while Sue was in high school. She then lived with her Uncle Eddy and Aunt Florence and her cousins Janet and Carol.  Sue met her late husband, Robert Lichten, while she was a high school student and he was an undergraduate at MIT. They married and raised their three sons in Philadelphia, Buffalo, and finally Dallas, where the family settled for more than 70 years.

Together, Sue and Bob were active leaders in social justice causes in Dallas. Inspired by Sue’s uncle, Kivie Kaplan, national president of the NAACP, they worked to promote equality, opportunity, and civil liberties. Sue, as a volunteer, launched the city’s first preschool program for underserved children, was active in the League of Women Voters, and campaigned for political leaders, especially women, including two friends – Texas Governor Ann Richards and Mayor Adlene Harrison, the first woman to be mayor of Dallas.

Bob was an aeronautical engineer and inventor of what today is called the Osprey – an aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter and convert, mid-air, to fly like a fixed-wing aircraft. After Bob’s sudden death at age 50, Sue went to work at Brookhaven Community College, becoming the Associate Director of the Adult Education Program and encouraging thousands of students to pursue lifelong learning.

Sue approached life with energy and enthusiasm, maintaining close connections with a wide circle of family and friends throughout her life. She sang in the Temple Emanu-El choir for 70 years and was an excellent tennis player who played regularly until her mid-eighties. In retirement, she explored countries in Europe, Africa, and South America, taught English as a second language, and became a Texas Master Gardener. She was also an avid supporter of the arts, attending most performances of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Chamber Music Society, as well as many theater productions. She filled what little free time she had with challenging crossword puzzles and was a formidable Scrabble player, affectionately challenging her grandchildren and friends.

She cherished time at her family’s Colorado retreat, Aspenroost, which she and Bob had designed and built along with help from their sons. There, she gathered family and friends – encouraging hikes, picnics in her favorite alpine meadows, and board games, discouraging TV, and serving stiff Bloody Marys at a gently enforced happy hour so all would pause and gaze at the mountains at sunset. She made the ten-hour drive from Dallas many times – often bringing batches of her signature schnecken breakfast buns and coffee cake. After boldly confronting a bear that had broken into the cabin – and chasing it away – she became a legend among friends and family.

Sue moved back to Newton in her final years to be close to her family. She enjoyed living at Cabot Park Village, a wonderful independent living community, where she continued to inspire others with her warmth, curiosity, intelligence, optimism, and natural ability to be a gifted, engaging conversationalist. She will be remembered with deep love and gratitude for her generous spirit, commitment to lifelong learning, and the example she set by persevering through tragic losses to build a life of joy, filled with family, friends, and the rich experiences the world offers.

A memorial service will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sue’s honor to the Choir Fund at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, to the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, Massachusetts , and to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Baruch Dayan HaEmet

Dr. Bertram Barer, of Canton, Massachusetts, from Tarzana California, born and raised in East New York, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on February 2, 2026.

He leaves behind a living legacy as the beloved patriarch of his family. A devoted father to Leslie Russell and Mark Barer and his wife Shanna Shulman, he was the cherished grandfather of Shira, Malka, Alexander, Yehuda, and Menachem Russell, and Caleb, Jonah, and Gideon Barer, and the proud great-grandfather of Aziel and Eva Giller, and Shiloh and Gaia Luna Russell. He was the loving brother of the late David, Seymour, and Malvin Barer.

Known to many simply as Bert, he stood at the center of his family as a steady and grounding presence across generations. He carried the weight of responsibility with quiet determination, believing deeply in showing up for one’s children, protecting one’s own, and doing whatever was necessary to provide stability and continuity.

A distinguished United States military veteran, Bert served overseas just after World War II as a newscaster, witnessing the liberation of the concentration camps — bearing witness to history at one of humanity’s most pivotal moments. This experience shaped his worldview, instilling in him a profound sense of truth, responsibility, and service.

Following his military service, Bert built a respected professional life in education and media. He founded and chaired the Radio, Television, and Film Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and was instrumental in bringing Southern California’s first public radio license to the university. Deeply committed to mentoring young minds, he encouraged excellence and prepared students for meaningful careers in broadcasting and storytelling.

In his later professional years, Dr. Barer worked with numerous media companies as a communications management consultant.  He also worked with the American military in Japan where he continued to offer his expertise and leadership internationally for over 20 years.

Above all, Bert embodied the role of patriarch in the truest sense: anchoring his family through changing seasons, offering practical support, and holding space for the generations that followed. He took immense pride in watching his family grow, seeing his lineage extend forward in strength and vitality.

Always ready with a joke or a clever quip, Bert loved to laugh and brought humor wherever he went. His warmth, wit, and unmistakable personality left a lasting impression on everyone he met. He also had a deep love of adventure and the outdoors, instilling in his children an enduring appreciation for nature.

His neshamah departed gently, held by love and surrounded by family, returning to its Source.

Funeral services will be held at Montefiore Cemetery, Springfield Gardens, NY, on Friday, February 6, 2026, at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Bert’s memory may be made to Jewish War Veterans or Hebrew SeniorLife.

May HaKadosh Baruch Hu grant his neshamah an aliyah. May his memory be for a blessing, and may the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.