Click here to view the livestream of Laura's funeral home service on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 11:00 AM.

Laura Judith Goldin was born on March 3, 1951 in Bethesda, Maryland and died peacefully on February 2nd in Austin, Texas.

Laura's small, close-knit family, to whom she was deeply devoted, cherished her, as did a loving network of cousins and friends. Laura was beloved mother of Katy Anna Smith and husband Wes, grandmother of Kaylee and Levi, sister of Deborah Meyers and husband Roy, and aunt of Yael Lisa Meyers and partner Seth and Sarah Meyers and husband Benjamin, along with grandnephews Abraham and Eli. She was daughter of the late Abraham and Jessica Goldin.

Throughout her life Laura's kindness and dedication to others' well-being was the foundation of who she was and how she lived. Always, Laura was happiest when she was giving.

Early on, Women's Day magazine featured Laura for her charity "Manna from Heaven," which arranged a network of volunteers to pick up food at grocery stores and restaurants and deliver it to local food pantries.

Laura, who earned her B.A. from Yale and her J.D. from Cornell and Harvard, committed to using her education and legal training for the public good. Her enduring focus was environmental and social justice, first as General Counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and then for many years as Founder and Chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Brandeis University. She and her students worked with the community to tackle issues such as lead exposure in low-income housing and exposure of nail and hair salon workers to toxic chemicals, and to create programs such as educational gardens in local K-12 public schools. Laura also established, with her students and the community, the Brandeis/WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic, a free drop-in service for the local low income and immigrant community.

Always modest about herself, Laura was dedicated to the causes she was passionate about. During her years at Brandeis she continued to consult pro bono on a number of environmental justice, wetlands protection, and land preservation matters. In 2020 the University established the "Laura Goldin Lecture Series on Climate Change, Health and Social Justice."  Even after she was long retired, former students would call for advice and counsel.

Laura loved animals and nature and was adept at identifying birds and trees. She loved the landscape of New England and her beloved Adirondacks, but Laura's family was her abiding joy. She was grateful to live her last months in Austin near her daughter Katy and family.

A funeral home service will take place at 11am, Thursday February 9, 2023 at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (518-584-5373).

Burial will follow immediately at Temple Beth El Cemetery Gansevoort Road (Rt. 32) Moreau, New York, 12828.

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com