A Celebration of Life for Marta McElroy Goodman

Category: Obituaries Obituaries
Published: 15 July 2018 15 July 2018

Marta McElroy Goodman, (12/3/28 — 5/9/18) passed away at age 89 of small cell lung cancer in Raleigh, NC, surrounded by family. Marta was born in Garden City, KS, graduated from Garden City schools, and received her degree in Economics from the University of Arizona in Tucson. In early years she was a popular singer and, later, a dancer of the Mary Wigman modern technique. Her professional life was varied, serving 10 years in Washington, DC, as a research assistant to Senator Frank Carlson and, then, to the Honorable James E. Webb. Upon becoming a single parent, she served more than 15 years as executive director of Girl Scout Councils in Kansas, Wyoming, and Illinois. After a few years as comptroller of a family business in Colorado, she moved to New Mexico to be with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival before retiring to Silver City, New Mexico.

Whether she was in our U.S. Capitol, on the north shore of Chicago, all over the state of Wyoming, or in the beautiful enchantment of New Mexico, Marta contributed her talents to volunteer on boards, committees and as adviser to many causes that had special needs. She was one of the founders of the Unitarian Fellowship of Silver City, NM, where the library is named the Marta McElroy Goodman Library. She loved hiking, camping, gardening, reading, music and her friends.

She is survived by her daughter Malin Pereira and son-in-law Ernest Pereira of Charlotte, NC; her son Grant Goodman and his significant other Melanie Walker of Raleigh NC; grandchildren Cameron Walther of Austin, TX, and Blake and Julian Pereira of Charlotte, NC.

Marta's life was privately celebrated by her family. A service to celebrate memories of her life in New Mexico will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 19, around the labyrinth at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Silver City, 3845 N. Swan St., with the Rev. Azima Lila Forest officiating. Marta's friends are invited to attend and to bring stories and photos to share. Her ashes will be interred in the labyrinth and also in the Town and Country Garden Club's rose garden at Memory Lane Cemetery.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.