Charlotte A. Golden

Charlotte A. Golden passed away peacefully on Sunday afternoon, December 25th from respiratory failure in her own home in Fort Collins surrounded by family members. It was just 18 days shy of her 105th birthday. Charlotte was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Aaron Abramson and Lena Horowitz. The family story says that she was born at home on Monday, January 17, 1912 but the doctor didn’t submit the official paperwork until Friday, January 21, 1912. The 21st is the official birthdate and she didn’t discover the error until she applied for a passport as an adult. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and after graduation worked at the Corn Exchange Bank in Philadelphia. Charlotte met and married Milton E. Goldensky, son of Elias Goldensky, a well-known portrait photographer in the city. She was very proud of his work and would often share that the family studio created high-quality portraits of several prominent Americans that are stored in the Library of Congress. Milton and Charlotte moved first to Dayton, Ohio and then to Chicago, Illinois in 1943. They changed their surname legally in Cook County to “Golden” before their first daughter, Nancy Elyse, was born in 1944. Their second daughter, Ellen Paula, was born in 1947. Both were raised in Chicago. Charlotte later worked for a building materials company in Chicago before she moved to Fort Collins, CO to be near family. While in Fort Collins she volunteered for Friends of the Library, Catholic Charities Northern, Fort Collins Museum of Modern Art, the Gardens at Spring Creek and at Congregation Har Shalom where she served as a bookkeeper and treasurer. Charlotte rose to meet several health challenges, including receiving two hip replacements, and a reverse shoulder replacement. The most spectacular event was when she fell off a treadmill at age 99 by pushing the wrong button and broke her arm requiring more hardware. Charlotte enjoyed attending Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra concerts, performances at the Bas Bleu Theater and several series at the Lincoln Center. She loved fashion and knitted and crocheted clothing for herself, children and grandchildren. Charlotte loved her family, their pets, and friends of whom she had many. She enjoyed traveling, water aerobics, walking, Tai Chi and very good dark chocolate. Charlotte’s husband and parents preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughters, Nancy Hanck [John] of Fort Collins and Ellen Golden [of Asheville, NC] as well as granddaughters Dr. Laurel Hanck Saliman [Joshua] of Seattle WA, Dr. Jill Hanck [Samuel Bachar] of Fort Collins and great grandchildren: AJ Saliman, Eli Saliman, Gaia Bachar and Sivan Bachar. Her loving and beloved caregiver, Domi Jones, also survives her. Goes Funeral Care facilitated her cremation. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date when family and friends from out of town may attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Congregation Har Shalom in her memory or to the charity of your choice.

Charlotte A. Golden

January 21, 1912 - December 25, 2016