By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
Edwin “Eddie” Goldberg
Edwin L. Goldberg — “Eddie” to most everyone who knew him — passed away on April 7 at the age of 86. Once described as a “serial entrepreneur” whose business interests ranged from the family’s paper company to — as his obituary reads — “roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, restaurants and surgical centers” — he was also a pillar of Louisville’s Jewish constituency. A former board president of the old Jewish Community Center, he was the recipient of the Jewish Community of Louisville’s 2011 Arthur Kling Leadership Award.
Goldberg’s complete obituary is below, followed by excerpts of remarks delivered during his funeral service on April 10.
Edwin “Eddie” L. Goldberg passed away in Louisville, Kentucky on April 7, 2025. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and doting grandfather, known as ‘Papa’ to his grandchildren.
Eddie was born in Louisville to Herman and Faye Goldberg on July 14, 1939. He attended Fern Creek High School and graduated from the University of Louisville’s Speed Scientific School with a degree in Electrical Engineering, eventually following his father into the family’s paper business.
As a Boy Scout, Eddie earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout. He continued on as a mentor in the Boy Scouts long after his teenage years, earning the coveted Silver Beaver Award, the highest award presented to a Boy Scout volunteer.
His commitment to leadership extended well beyond the Boy Scouts, serving his local community on both corporate and non-profit boards. He was a past president of Network Distribution Chicago, Illinois; past president of the Louisville JCC; treasurer of the national JCCA; board member of Wisconsin Tissue; and a founding member of Serenity House, where he served for 49 years.
In business, Eddie was a natural — a true entrepreneur at heart. Despite having to take over the family’s paper business at a young age upon his father’s death, and then watching it burn to the ground one year later, Eddie rebuilt the business taking it to new heights. This allowed him to venture into an array of businesses that included roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, restaurants and surgical centers. His success never overshadowed his desire to give back, donating not only his time, but his money to a number of charitable organizations.
In his free time, Eddie enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Whether it was family vacations to St. Thomas or fishing trips to Florida with his best friends, Eddie lived life to its fullest. He leaves behind three children: Craig (Jennifer Durinick), Brian (Deborah), Marla Ambrose (Jonathan Smith); seven grandchildren — Caroline, Joseph, Marnina, Abigail, Ethan, Noah, and Blaze — and his sister Benita Simon (Alan).
Funeral services were held April 10 at Herman Meyer & Son, followed by burial at Adath Jeshurun Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Serenity House, 200 Homestead Avenue, Clarksville, IN 47130.
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“Today we are gathering to say goodbye to a giant of a man,” Rabbi Boruch Susman of the Chabad Chai Center in Prospect, Ky., remarked during Goldberg’s funeral service. “He was a devoted husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a patriarch. Though the pain of his loss is great, so too is the pride and gratitude we feel for the gift of his life.”
“Our sages teach us in Pirkei Avot — “Ethics of the Fathers” — that there are three crowns a person can obtain: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of kingship,” Rabbi Susman observed. “But above all these crowns there’s one more crown — the crown of Shem Tov, the crown of a good name, because a good name surpasses them all. Today we remember Ed through these crowns.”
Goldberg “lived a life steeped in wisdom,” Rabbi Susman added. “He was somewhat of a math whiz. He possessed a sharp mind. He not only knew how the world worked and the intricacies that were within it, but he also knew how to fix all the problems he came across. He had a mind like a calculator and a memory like a Rolodex — the next generation won’t know what that is.”
As a founding board member of Clarksville, Indiana’s Serenity House — a 48-bed transitional residence for men recovering from alcohol and/or drug abuse — “when people came to him in crisis, he stepped in quickly,” Rabbi Susman said. “And he didn’t step in with words, but with action. Those of us who knew Ed would say he made the impossible possible. He saved lives quietly and steadily, one at a time.”
“I don’t have to tell you what an extraordinary person he really was,” Goldberg’s daughter Marla Ambrose said of her father. “He was a great dad. We never wanted for anything — well, maybe that new car when we were 16, but we knew better than to ask.”
She added: “I can’t tell you what an impact he has had on all of us, even to this day. Until I was like 30 years old, I thought my dad could do nothing wrong. He could fix everything. He could solve everything. He taught me an entire semester of algebra in two days. And then, when you get to be an adult, you realize, well, he’s just wise.”
Deborah Goldberg, who is married to Eddie Goldberg’s son, Brian, shared thoughts about her father-in-law’s defining generosity.
“I may be a daughter-in-law, but I always felt like one of the family because he treated me and (Marla’s husband) Johnny like that,” Deborah said, recalling a favorite Eddie Goldberg phrase: “I’ve got it taken care of.”
“He always had something taken care of,” she emphasized. “And he taught that to his family. He taught that to his three children, and to his grandchildren. That was the man he was.”