Harold Goldfine

April 28, 1931 – February 3, 2017

Harold Goldfine passed away the evening of February 3, 2017 from kidney failure as a complication of congestive heart disease. He went peacefully at Santa Monica (Calif.) UCLA Hospital with his sister, Marilyn Benjamin, and niece, Sharon Abrams, by his side. His only son, Scott Goldfine, and his family, wife Jill and Harold’s only grandson Nathan, were able to say their goodbyes that evening over the phone long distance from their home in North Carolina. Harold was 85.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., (Coney Island specifically), Harold was one of three siblings born to Morris and Anna Goldfine. His parents and only brother, Paul, passed away in 1998. Harold’s wife, Phyllis, passed away in 2010 as the result of complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Harold served his country as a U.S. Army corporal and radio operator on the frontlines during the Korean War in the early 1950s and he received an honorable discharge. He went on to become an electronics technician and spent the balance of his professional life in that capacity for RCA and later Sperry in Van Nuys, Calif., principally working on avionics technology.

Always very evident was Harold’s love of the arts, especially music and audio equipment, and his enthusiasm for sports. And, despite not earning a college degree, he was highly intelligent, and also passionate in his own way with a great sense of humor. In his later years, when his wife became ill and bedridden for an extended period, Harold visited the nursing home every day looking out for her and doing what he could to not only lift her spirits but those of other residents as well. He regularly brightened those people’s lives by playing harmonica and singing to them.

Almost to his last breath, Harold still played his harmonica and sang to those worse off than himself, and delighting others as well. He was clearly beloved by those he regularly encountered, including neighbors, healthcare workers and assisted-living residents. Ultimately, Harold Goldfine lived a good life, one that should be celebrated and that has left an everlasting impression. He was laid to rest February 27, 2017 with a military funeral service at Riverside National Cemetery.