Elizabeth Goodman

Elizabeth Moore Shumaker Goodman passed away peacefully on July 14, 2018, at the age of 82.  Known to friends as Liz, she was an educator in Danville and Richmond public schools for 37 years. Liz was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on February 27, 1936, the daughter of Milton William Shumaker and Matilda Simon Shumaker.  When she was a child, the family moved to Monroe, North Carolina.  She graduated from Monroe High School in 1954. She attended Agnes Scott College in Georgia, where she took up acting, winning an award for her role as Caliban in the Tempest.  She graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in 1958.  After graduation she drove across country with a friend and after seeing the United States moved to Danville, Virginia, to begin her career as a teacher. She married Danville native Lewis Elton (“Red”) Goodman, Jr. in 1960.  In 1969, they moved their family to Richmond, Virginia, where Liz taught public school in Gilpin Court during the busing era, and Red attended the University of Richmond Law School.  They returned to Danville in 1973.  Liz resumed her career with Danville Public Schools teaching at Taylor Middle School.  She taught math, science and language arts.  She earned her Masters in Education from the University of Virginia in 1977. From the 1960s, Liz appeared in nearly a hundred plays staged by the Little Theatre of Danville and won several awards over the years.  Her favorite role was MaLynn in Steel Magnolias, accompanied by her friend Patsy Compton.  She also was proud of her work as Daisy Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy, performed with Fred Motley, Abby in Arsenic and Old Lace, Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, and Old Man Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life.  She performed in her last Little Theatre show three weeks before she passed. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Danville, where she had served as a church Deacon.  She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society of female educators, The Wednesday Club of Danville, where she often performed one acts, as well as the Lady Astor Garden Club of Danville.  She enjoyed traveling.  She threw three coins into the fountains in London, Paris and Rome.  She was fascinated with the British Isles.  She was an avid reader and always was in the middle of a book.  Since childhood she loved the cinema.  And she was a talented artist and flower arranger.  She was predeceased by Red, her husband of over 50 years.  She was predeceased by her parents Milton William Shumaker and Matilda Simon Shumaker and her brother William M. Shumaker.  She is survived by sons William L. Goodman of Richmond and Lee E. Goodman of Charlottesville; daughter-in-law Paige M. Pippin; two grandchildren Piper and Kemper Goodman; sister-in-law Ann Shumaker; niece Elizabeth Ann Whalen and great-nieces Amanda and Sarah Whalen; and sister-in-law Nancy Goodman Andrews. A visitation will be held at Townes Funeral Home on Friday, July 20, from 6 to 8 pm.  A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 21, 2 pm, at First Presbyterian Church, located at 937 Main Street, Danville, Virginia, with the Rev. Dr. John McDonald and the Rev. Dr. Robert Ramey officiating, immediately followed by a reception at the Church. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family recommends that friends make a donation to a Danville charity.