Kenneth Goldstein

Kenneth “Kenny” Irwin Goldstein, 69, passed away peacefully at home in Houston, Texas, surrounded by his loving family after a courageous battle with metastatic melanoma on Wednesday, January 25. Kenny was born on May 21, 1953, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Sylvia Multin Goldstein and the late Robert Lee Goldstein. He graduated from Ladue High School in St. Louis, where he excelled in water polo, ice hockey, and, especially, tennis. While he received a full academic scholarship to attend Washington University in St. Louis, he ultimately decided to follow his family to Texas where his beloved parents, sister, and cousins had relocated in the early 1970s. Transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, Kenny would go on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. While studying at UT, he met the love of his life Gail Tapick, and they have been inseparable ever since. Kenny and Gail moved to Houston upon finishing college, and they married on June 15, 1975. With his strong commitment to family, Kenny joined his father-in-law and cousins at Martin Poultry and Egg Company, beginning an illustrious career in the food service industry. His son Jason and daughter Joanie followed soon, and they became the pride and joy of his life. While extraordinarily devoted to serving his customers in the food business, Kenny loved nothing more than spending time with his family. He particularly enjoyed doing everything with his grandchildren, who affectionately referred to him as “Bunky.” He was the most adoring and loving husband, son, brother, grandfather, and uncle, never missing out on the chance to serenade his family with his famous birthday song, attend a sporting event or watch a game, or simply ask about their days. Nothing made him happier than celebrating holidays and life cycle events with them or prouder than bragging on their accomplishments. With a heart of gold, Kenny constantly put the needs of others before himself. He treasured his friends and customers, treating them like family. He was known for his sense of humor, loveable lateness, love of sports talk, and generosity with his time and advice. This generosity extended to service as well, including his time on the board of the Texas Restaurant Association. He was also a proud member of Congregation Beth Israel, and he served on the Temple board and the Shlenker School Board of Trustees as well. Aside from family, nothing defined his life more than his tireless work in the food service industry for the past forty-eight years. Supremely dedicated to his customers, he never turned them down for anything and did everything in his power to take care of them. It was not uncommon to find him cutting steaks on a holiday weekend or driving around the city to source whatever they needed. He was truly proud of his development of Gourmet Ranch, ultimately resulting in their acquisition by Jake’s Finer Foods. At Jake’s, the Bench family treated Kenny like one of their own, and their support and compassion throughout his battle with cancer has been overwhelming. He is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, Gail, and their children, Jason and Joanie and Doug Aron, and their cherished grandchildren, Morgan and Andrew. He is also survived by his mother, Sylvia Goldstein, his younger sister, Judy Rosen and her husband Alan, his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sharon and Seth Ellerin, and many loving nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Dr. Adi Diab and the entire melanoma team at MD Anderson for their compassion and dedication. They would also like to express a deep appreciation to his loving caregivers in his final days, Carlett and Ro. A Memorial Service was held on Friday, January 27 at 2:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N. Braeswood Blvd, Houston, Texas 77096. For those wishing to view the memorial service remotely via Live Stream please use the following link: https://www.beth-israel.org/about-us/news-events-upcoming-events/livestreaming/. Donations in Kenny’s memory may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center (PO Box 4486, Houston, Texas 77210, or www.mdanderson.org/gifts, Attn: Dr. Adi Diab Melanoma Research Fund), Congregation Beth Israel c/o Rabbi Lyon Discretionary Fund, or to a charity of your choice.

Kenneth Goldstein

May 21, 1953 - January 25, 2023