Obituary of Henry Goldstien

Henry M. Goldstein, 103, the oldest member of Congregation Rodef Shalom, passed away July 4, 2016. Goldstein was also a long time member of Temple Emanuel and President of that Synagogue’s Brotherhood Goldstein was one of the oldest surviving veterans of World War II in Colorado. In 2004 Goldstein, who served in the U.S. Army on the French colonial island of New Caledonia- the headquarters of the U.S. Navy and Army in the South Pacific- was chosen to represent Colorado veterans in an interview conducted by Denver’s CBS Affiliate (Channel 4) at the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. In the interview, Goldstein expressed his appreciation for the recognition that he and his fellow American soldiers, sailors, and airmen had belatedly received at the dedication ceremony. Although he never saw battle, Goldstein, a kind hearted draftsman-engineer, had many memorable experiences during the war. He met the French plantation owner who may have been the model for James Michener’s Emile de Becque in “Tales of the South Pacific”, and was the first to tell his superior officers about the Japanese surrender thanks to a short wave radio he constructed out of scrap material. Goldstein worked most of his career for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation helping to develop, by hand, detailed designs of the major dam and irrigation projects the Bureau constructed in the western states. As President of the Denver Bureau of Reclamation Employees Association during the 1960’s, Goldstein negotiated with then-Denver mayor J. Quigg Newton to guarantee Denver water distribution to an undeveloped subdivision of property near the Bureau’s southwest Denver location. This agreement allowed young Bureau engineers to purchase plots for their families near the Denver Federal Center. Goldstein earned a degree in Business from the University of Denver. To help support his family, he also sold World Book Encyclopedias door-to-door and worked weekends at the Van Sickle engineering firm. In his retirement years, Goldstein was a fixture on the front porch of his Congress Park neighborhood home, greeting long-time and new residents alike. He was born December 14, 1912 in Philadelphia. His parents moved to Denver when he was six, as his parents needed to get treatment for tuberculosis. Growing up, he helped at his father’s fruit and vegetable stand on West Colfax, and graduated from North High School. He is survived by his wife Mira Lee, daughters Bonnie Haimowitz of Aurora, Helene Lohman of Omaha, Neb., son Edward Goldstein of Potomac, Maryland. He is the grandfather of Rebecca Haimowitz-King, Benjamin Lohman, Justin Lee Lohman, Brooks Goldstein & Russell Goldstein of blessed memory; great-grandfather of Asher Haimowitz-King; Service, Friday, 1:00pm, Congregation Rodef Shalom, 450 South Kearney Street; Interment Emanuel Cemetery. Contributions to the Russell Elliot Goldstein Memorial Fund c/o the Jewish Communal Fund, 575 Madison Avenue, Suite 703, New York, NY 10022 or National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO 80206.