Kathleen Goodman

Kathleen “Catherine” Goodman was born on June 25, 1941 in Nakina, N.C. to parents Roscoe and Lula Smith, who was of the Lumbee Tribe of the North.

          Kathleen was the second eldest of six siblings and who are predeceased by Glenda Maxwell, Roscoe Jr. Smith, Bill Smith, Garfield Smith and Irvin Smith.

Kathleen survived the Jim Crow south by working tirelessly in the sweltering tobacco fields. But God gave her strength to persevere in spite of. Kathleen graduated high school in 1958 then moved to East Orange, New Jersey in 1962 and studied cosmetology. 

          Kathleen gave birth to a son Eugene Smith in 1963. Kathleen would then graduate with her cosmetology license in 1964. Kathleen would soon marry Otis Goodman in 1968 and become a mother again in 1969 to Sharon Goodman. 

          From 1964-1995 Kathleen worked at the same shop as a hairstylist in East Orange, New Jersey. In 1996 she became a school bus aid and retired in 2017. 

          Kathleen is survived by her daughter Sharon Johnson and granddaughters Angelica and Danielle Goodman-Warren. Kathleen was a mother, a friend, a confidante, and “GrandMa” to many, but was “The Queen” to all who loved her.

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