How I got to be a Goldfarb (my Goldfarbcentric bio)

I was born November 20, 1946, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA, the first son of Irvin J. and Martha L. Goldfarb (née Cohn). I was given the name Benjamin Isiah. Sixteen months later, the union would produce a second son, M. Joel. Joel and I are the only children of Irvin and Martha, the latter of whom is alive.

Moving up the Goldfarb family tree, I can only go as far as my grandfather, Charles L. ("Charlie") Goldfarb. Recently, I found that his mother's name was Miriam, and his father's Jewish name was Yeshuah. Unfortunately, before I became interested in tracing my Goldfarbian roots, all family members known to me with knowledge of prior generations had either died or developed Alzheimer's Disease. Charlie's death when I was very young, coupled with the location of much of his family in Philadelphia, 300 miles from where I lived as a child, denied me the opportunity to be introduced to his side of the family. In hindsight, I should have made it my business to seek them out as an adult, but unfortunately, I didn't. Accordingly, I will present the lineage as thoroughly as I can, which amounts to a total of only five generations. Perhaps someone who can provide further enlightenment will come across this while doing a Web search.

Irvin J. Goldfarb (1920-1999), was the first of two children of Charles and Lena Goldfarb (née Karp) of Altoona, Pennsylvania. He served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in Europe during World War II. I was told that he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, but I never saw the medals. Throughout his life, Irvin exhibited a repeated tendency to become disinterested in things, including his businesses and his family. Nevertheless, during his business career, he managed to start several successful small businesses. His disinterest and philandering precipitated the dissolution of his first marriage in 1965. He was married (or maybe not) several times after that. He died in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1999. His wife at that time was named Dorothy. As far as I know, she is still alive.

Irvin's sister, Shirley Goldfarb, was born in 1925. She is the only Goldfarb in my branch of the clan who achieved any degree of fame. A member of the American expatriate artist community in Paris, France in the 1960s and 1970s, she was famous not only for her art, but also for her cynical personal style. Before she died in 1980, she had produced many abstract paintings, some of which continue to be exhibited in the Zabriskie Gallery in New York. In addition, a popular French stage play centered on her journal inscriptions. Shirley (Aunt Cissy to me) married another American expatriate artist, Gregory Masurofsky, and had one son, Marc. I have gathered some more information about Aunt Cissy, which I have published on this site.

Back up the lineage, Charles Goldfarb died suddenly of a heart attack on my 5th birthday in 1951. He was in his 50s (various versions of his date of birth place it between 1887 and 1892). I believe that he was born in Russia and emigrated with his family to the United States in 1894, or thereabouts. Charles was an affable Grandpa, but I didn't get to know him very well because I was only a small tyke when he died. I was told that because he was sort of a ne'erdowell, his wife, Lena, was the one who supported the family. Lena (1899-1998) lived a hard life, raising and supporting two children at the same time. In the late 1950s, she married Harry Lightman of Nashville, Tennessee. This union did not last very long due to Harry's death only a couple of years after the marriage.

Because I have no children, male or otherwise, perpetuation of the Goldfarb name in our small corner of the family space will be up to my brother Joel's issue. Joel Goldfarb (1948 - ) married Janet Goldfarb (née Shimesky) in 1970, and had one son, Marcus Goldfarb, in 1973. Marcus and his wife Jennifer have been busy lately, producing a son, Jason Goldfarb, in 2003 and a daughter, Cynthia Goldfarb, in 2004. Aside from having children, running a household, and running her own bookkeeping business, Jen recently received her B.S. in accounting from Florida Atlantic University. Our little Goldfarb family is quite proud of our latest college graduate. Where she finds the time to do all she does is anybody's guess.

That wraps up my Goldfarbian bio. If you want to get more information about me, please visit my personal web site.