Obituary of Maxine Ann Goldblum

Maxine Ann Goldblum passed away on January 6, 2023 at the age of ninety at her home in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, surrounded by family. A writer, collector, gardener, and friend, a wife, mother and grandmother, Maxine led a full, adventurous, distinctive life.  She will be mourned by her children Michael [and Ann Rauch], Laura, David [and Joanne] and Chuck [and Tirzah Schwarz], and by her ten grandchildren: Jesse, Mollie [and husband Ben], Emma, Nathaniel, Sherman, Navah, Aden, Mia, Matt, and Malena, along with friends and family from Connecticut, New York, Florida and beyond.

Maxine Becker was born on October 28, 1932 to Julia [Warshow] and Morris Becker in Stamford CT, where after the early death of her father, she and her sister Audrey [Glazer] were raised by her mother in the Ambassador Arms, a building that her grandfather had built. She was a real Stamford girl, graduating from Stamford High School and, in 1958, marrying Murray Goldblum and who she met playing Scrabble at the beach in Shippan. Together they raised four children in Stamford and made their life in a house they built there.

A writer from her youth, Maxine composed short stories, plays, poems and songs throughout her life, culminating in her memoir Missing Murray published in 2013. The original compositions  she sang at every family event to the tunes of “Making Whoopee” were legendary. She loved gardening and spent happy hours planting and cultivating her beautiful gardens in Connecticut, the Berkshires and Florida. She supported and volunteered at Stamford’s Bartlett Arboretum and was an avid visitor to gardens around the world.

Family and friends were the center of her life.  Her Stamford friend circle remained close: traveling, parties, games, play-readings, life-cycle events constantly animated her and strengthened her bonds with her closest friends.  She was immensely proud of her four children, and was an active, joyful grandmother to her ten grandchildren [and new eleventh, a son-in-law, in October], traveling with them, playing games, and regaling them with her stories.  Maxine loved games, playing tennis and golf, cards, rummikub and mah-jjong with family and friends.

Maxine’s funeral will take place on Monday January 9^th, 2023 at Congregation Agudath Sholom, 301 Strawberry Hill Avenue, Stamford CT at 2:00 PM, with burial to follow at 554 West Hill Road, Stamford CT.

Zoom participation will be available at this link for the funeral ceremony.  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83119631770?pwd=WGZtOXp6Z29HMmVFcmtTbnF5Zk50dz09

Meeting ID: 831 1963 1770

Passcode: 868717

Visitors are requested to please obtain negative results from covid tests before visiting, and to avoid visits with any cold/flu/covid symptoms.  The family also requests no food.

Donations in lieu of flowers in Maxine’s honor can be made to:

The National Diaper Bank Network

Arrangements are under the direction of Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home (203)-359-9999. To send condolences to the family, plesae visit www.gallagherfuneralhome.com