Barbara Ilene (Cartier) Goldberg

Barbara Goldberg, much loved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on Sunday, August 20, 2023, peacefully at home in Charlotte, NC, after being surrounded by her loved ones over her final days. She was the most remarkable woman and was loved by all who knew her. Her strength, grace, and dignity were exemplified during her courageous hard-fought battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Born November 30, 1943, in Detroit, MI, she was the daughter of Julian Cartier and Adele (Zellman) Cartier. She was raised in Detroit in her family home along with her younger sister, Bonnie, and around the corner from her loving grandparents, David and Grace Zellman. Barbara was a true beauty inside and out and had smarts, a wonderful sense of adventure, and a fabulous witty and clever sense of humor.

She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1965 with a Bachelors degree in Education. She went on to become an elementary school teacher, and took on many roles from home room teacher, to reading specialist, to specialty programs for gifted students. She married in 1965, had her first daughter, Julie, in 1968 while living in Ann Arbor, MI, moved to Los Angeles, CA, in 1969, and had her second daughter, Jodi, in 1970. Barbara loved living in sunny California but loved her two daughters more than anything else.

In 1971, she met Sam Goldberg and fell in love. They married in 1973 and became an instant family. They raised their two girls, along with Sam’s two boys Bruce and Alex, in the gorgeous Cliffside peninsula of Palos Verdes Estates, CA. They set up a beautiful life for their merged families.

Barbara fell in love with travel and she and Sam set out to travel the world. They spent time exploring Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean, either with their children, friends, or just the two of them. She later left the world of teaching and became a travel agent at Harbor Travel and spent many years planning trips and adventures for others, as well. Barbara spent her free time playing bridge, mahjong, reading, doing crossword puzzles and entertaining friends. She was a witty poet who often wrote poems for friends and family, and had everyone in stitches.

In 2007, Barbara and Sam relocated to Charlotte, NC to be close to their daughters, and set up a beautiful life there. They made many friends and became active members in their new community. But Barbara’s greatest gift was her endless love and loyalty to her family. Her husband, children, grandchildren and sister were everything to her. Even when she was no longer able to do many of the activities she loved to do, her devotion and love for her family were unmatched. Barbara will be remembered for her striking beauty, warm smile, intelligence, keen wit, elegant style, warmth, grace, and above all, unabashed love for her family.

Barbara is survived by her beloved husband, Sam Goldberg of Charlotte, NC; daughters, Julie (Scott) Rizzo of Charlotte, NC, and Jodi (Brad) Lebow of Baltimore, MD; stepsons Alex Goldberg of Eugene, OR, and Bruce (Sonia) Goldberg of Pasadena, CA; grandchildren, Kendall Goldberg, Avery Goldberg, Kaitlin Lebow, Brooks Lebow, Hanna Goldberg, Ellie Goldberg, Jason Rizzo and Brendan Rizzo. In addition, she leaves her sister, Bonnie (Fred) Duell of San Diego, CA, and her niece Jaime Angell of Torrance, CA.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, October 16, 2023 at 1:00pm at Temple Beth El, 5101 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC. Livestream is available for those out of town.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation at www.michaeljfox.org or the National Parkinson's Foundation at www.Parkinson.org.