Sharon Rae Hennagin Goldsmith passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on June 8, 2020, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Los Angeles.
She was born in The Dalles, Ore., on Sept. 15, 1930, the eldest child of Lloyd and Henrietta Hennagin. The family moved to the Los Angeles area in 1945 where Sharon graduated from Burbank High School and attended Los Angeles City College. In high school and college, Sharon pursued music and vocal studies that led to performing both classical music and musical theater. Her vocal career included work with both the Los Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Operas.
In 1950, Sharon married film composer Jerry Goldsmith, and together they had four children. She later moved from the Los Angeles area to Mammoth Lakes, where she worked as a substance abuse counselor.
She retired to San Diego, but later moved to Vermont. During retirement, Sharon was busy. She loved being an active part of her grandchildren’s lives and bringing family together. She had a passion for lifelong learning and actively participated in the Osher program at University of San Diego and the CALL program at Keene State College. Sharon was instrumental in the establishment of the University of Vermont’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
She sang for many years with the Brattleboro Community Chorus and the UU All Souls Church Choir. She loved to travel, and did so all over the world through programs like Semester at Sea and Rhodes Scholars.
Sharon was a friend of Bill W.’s for almost 46 continuous years, and her steadiness and support to others through that friendship was greatly appreciated and will be remembered with gratitude.
Sharon was loved by all she came to know; she was “Grandma Sharon” to a large, extended family. No one will forget her adventurous spirit as she traveled the world on her own, and her great passion for learning, exploring different cultures, and all things artistic — music, literature, the movies and theater.
We will all miss her enthusiasm for sushi and card games, along with her fierce sense of personal responsibility in regards to the democratic process and social justice.
Sharon was predeceased by her parents; her sister Derrie Barone; her brother Michael Hennagin; her son Joel Goldsmith; and her former husband, Jerry. She is lovingly remembered by her three daughters, Ellen Goldsmith Edson of Swanzey, Carrie Goldsmith and husband, Gary Barnard, of Swanzey, Jennifer Goldsmith and husband, Nowell Grossman, of Valley Village, Calif.; her daughter-in-law Martha Goldsmith of Hidden Hills, Calif.; her six grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends and acquaintances made over her long lifetime.
A future date for a memorial service will be announced. Donations in Sharon’s memory may be made to The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, Playing for Peace Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 217, Sullivan, NH 03445-0217.
Published in The Keene Sentinel, Keene, NH
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