Martin Arthur Golman

Marty lived a life full of passion, commitment, and love for his family, friends, and community. Marty was born on December 29, 1942, in Dallas, Texas, and was a lifelong Dallasite and proud graduate of Hillcrest High School. Marty was a prolific athlete at a young age and threw his first no-hitter at 14. Marty attended the University of Oklahoma in 1961, where he joined Sigma Alpha Mu.

As with all the people in Marty’s life, Marty went to great lengths to maintain his friendships with his college friends with big meals and big laughs. Marty served in the Coast Guard and in 1965, he found the greatest love of his life, Susan Szafir, on a blind date. Susan and Marty got married in 1967 in Dallas and Marty joined his father at the Max Golman Wholesale Liquor and Wine Company. Marty became president of the company in 1974. He had the unique ability to make all of his employees feel important and had great successes building the company. After selling his business in 1987 and playing a record number of golf rounds at the Columbian Country Club, Marty then conquered the insurance business at Waldman Brothers starting in 1997, earning him the nickname, “The Rainmaker.”

Outside of his professional life, Marty focused on being a dedicated husband and father to his three wonderful children, Stacey, Robin, and Max. Marty made sure to have family dinners every night and spent time passing on his love for family, movies, sports, and games to his children. Marty had a wide range of interests and was an active member of the Dallas Jewish community by serving on boards and was the president of the Jewish Community Center, and he supported numerous charitable organizations. If you went to a Jewish event in Dallas, then you likely got to spend time with Marty. He always showed up for his community and his friends even in his final days when he was tired and not feeling his best. Marty understood the importance of being there for his community in both the good times and hard times.

Marty was also proud of being a Mason at the age of 21 and Shriner at the age of 22. Marty loved sports and excelled at tennis, football, softball, ping pong, and golf. Marty played against some of the greatest tennis players in the world, including Rod Laver, Bobby Riggs, Billy Jean King, and Rosco Tanner. He picked up golf late in his adult life, and with all sports, he quickly become an accomplished golfer and had two holes in one. One of his most cherished sports memories was when he quarterbacked for his fraternity and threw a 65-yard pass to Bobby Jo Dolgin on the final play to win the championship! His athletic prowess served him well as an adult and he dominated the adult flag football leagues in Dallas by winning several championships. In 1968 he earned the “All Sports Award Athlete of the year” for the Jewish Community Center. The pinnacle of his athletic honors was when he was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership, Sportsmanship and Athletic Ability at the JCC Sports Reunion weekend in 1996!

Marty’s passion for sports went hand in hand with one of his most memorable traits, which was his love for his friends. Marty was the consummate host and constantly found ways to bring different people together. Marty was always on the move and loved hosting poker games, fishing trips, movie nights, BBQ vacations, and golf trips. Marty got the most joy by creating joyful occasions for his friends and family. Marty committed his life to his family, to being a trusted confidant and mentor, and to treating everyone he met with respect.

Marty was most proud of those who survive him: his wife, Susan, his children, Stacey, Robin, and Max, his sons-in-law, Doug Baer and Craig Unterberg, his four grandchildren, Tatum Unterberg, Hailey Baer, Zoe Baer, and Riley Unterberg, his sister, Ida Ann Zweig, and his nephews, Louis Zweig and Brian Zweig. Marty was proceeded in death by his loving parents, Gladys and Max Golman.

In lieu of flowers, Marty requested that contributions be made to Shearith Israel or the Jewish Community Center.

A memorial service will be held on July 2nd at 1 pm at Shearith Israel, Aaron Family Main Sanctuary, with a reception to follow.

Pallbearers:

Brian Zweig

Louis Zweig

Mel Platt

Steve Waldman

Jeff Seymour

Ron Foxman

Ray Garfield

Steve Levy

Sonny Friedman

Neal Small

David Friedman

Honorary Pallbearers:

Billy Willingham

Dick Agnich

Stephen Lerer

Charles Zelazny

Kenny Goldberg

Mike Hirsch

Marshall Funk

Jeff Mundy

Howard Cohen