Virginia Lee Goodman

Virginia ("Ginger") Lee Ehrlich Goodman was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 25, 1925, to Nathan Ehrlich and Anne Epstein Ehrlich. She died at age 90 on August 15, 2016, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ginger lived with her parents in various small towns in Virginia, North Carolina & San Diego, Calif. She spent much of her youth in Baltimore until the family moved to Little Rock. She attended and graduated from Little Rock High School (now Central High). She graduated with an English degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia. While visiting a college classmate from Atlanta she attended an AZA dance in Asheville, North Carolina where she met Arnold S. Goodman which sparked a romance that resulted in their marriage on June 8, 1947 and spanned more than fifty five years, ending only upon Arnold 's death in 2003. After living several years in Asheville, Ginger and Arnold made their home in Little Rock. Ginger was a loving and nurturing mother, always active in her children's classroom and scouting activities while Arnold traveled extensively for business ("Just wait till your father gets home!"). She was an excellent cook and loved entertaining frequently in their home. She especially loved preparing Passover and Thanksgiving dinners. Ginger and Arnold were both active members of Temple B'Nai Israel in Little Rock where she served as president of the Temple Sisterhood and on the Temple Board of Directors while Arnold served several terms on the Board and was president of the Temple during its construction and dedication in 1973. She was also active in Hadassa and was an early volunteer at the organization known as Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN), advocating for the safety of children. In 1981, Ginger was on the steering committee to help create The Shepherd's Center, which later became LifeQuest of Arkansas. With Ginger's assistance, one of the first religion classes offered at LifeQuest was "The Jewish Experience," which brought record attendance. She also served on the first Board of Directors as vice president for community relations, and on its curriculum committee as a class coordinator for 34 years. She was also on the Steering committee of Woodlawn Heights. Ginger maintained long-time friendships with many of her Alpha Epsilon Phi college sorority sisters. She attended annual reunions with them for so many years that they were featured on a cover story in the University of Missouri alumni magazine. Ginger remained active and healthy until the last three months of her life; people constantly remarked to her children upon her vibrancy, optimism and high spirits, even well after her ninetieth birthday. She was active in her book club and enjoyed the conviviality of her weekly mah jong game in the last several years. Ginger was predeceased by her parents and her husband and is survived by her children, Leslie Goodman-Allen and Arnold N. Goodman (Helen), all of Little Rock and Alan M. Goodman (Kathleen Smith) of Sunnyvale, California, granddaughters, Jayme Ezell (Tony) of Round Rock, Texas, Jessica Crippen (Adam Davenport) of Little Rock, Jennifer Crippen of Houston, Texas and Amy Smith Goodman of New York City, New York, and great-grandchildren, Van and Roxie Ezell and Tess and Josie Davenport. The family would like to acknowledge and thank Kay Munnerlyn, Ginger's constant and dedicated caretaker during her last several weeks, Ashley Bowlin, one of her nurses at Arkansas Heart Hospital and David Bauman, her longtime friend and cardiologist, who remained at her side throughout. A funeral service will be held at Temple B'Nai Israel, 3700 Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, on Friday, August 19 at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow. The family will be at 71 Pine Manor Drive. Donations in her memory may be made to the IBD Summer Camp Foundation (campgobeyond.org), P.O. Box 210521 San Francisco, Calif. 94121, Temple B'Nai Israel, or the charity of your choice. Arrangements under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home. www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.