Judith Kasler Goffman's Obituary
Goffman, Judith Kasler
Judith (Judy) Kasler Goffman passed away peacefully at her home in Gainesville, Florida on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.
Judy was born on February 27, 1935 in Lynchburg, Virginia to Moe and Ray Kasler. She grew up on the family’s farm and apple orchard in Monroe, Virginia, before attending Duke University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in History in 1956. She was on the Duke Chronicle editorial board where she made life-long friends. While at Duke she met Irving Goffman and they were married on June 5, 1956.
Judy and Irv moved to Gainesville in 1959 where they raised their two daughters. Judy began her long career as an editor at the University Press of Florida in the mid 1960s, at a time when many women did not feel they had the option to work outside the home. She came from a family of strong-minded women who made many of their own decisions, a trait which has persisted in her female descendants.
She had a long history of supporting human rights and dignity, beginning with the Gainesville Women for Equal Rights in 1963 , the Southern Poverty Law Center, Children’s Home Society, WUFT, the Human Rights Council, and the American Civil Liberties Union. She strongly believed in accepting and respecting diversity and the differences that make us who we are.
Judy was predeceased by her parents and her husband, Irving. She is survived by her children Susan Goffman and her husband Bill Abrams, Sandra Stainsby and her husband Wendell Stainsby, her sister-in-law Marsha Goffman and her wife Johanne Goffman, her brother-in-law Sheldon Goffman and his wife Marion Goffman, her cousins Charles Richman Daniel Richman, and Roy Arnold, and the four grandchildren that were the light of her life: Emily Jones, Wendell Stainsby, Aaron Stainsby, and Rachel Abrams.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad Street 18th Floor, New York NY 10004, or Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida, c/o Jennifer Moore, 7257 NW 4th Blvd, Ste 31, Gainesville FL 32607. After a private burial, the family will receive visitors at Judy’s home, 1424 NW 31st Street, Gainesville from 1:00-5:00 PM, Friday, May 12, 2017.
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