Stanley D. Goldman, 93 of Rock Island died Saturday, May 17, 2014 at the Lighthouse, Silvis.Funeral services are 3:00 p.m. on Monday at Congregation Beth Israel at the Tri City Jewish Center, Rock Island. Burial is at Hebrew Cemetery, Rock Island. Wheelan-Pressly Funeral Home, Rock Island is assisting the family. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made the Hebrew Cemetery Association, Quad City Arts or Quad City Botanical Center.

Born April 6, 1921, in Rock Island, the son of Hyman and Rose Novimishiski Goldman, he graduated from Rock Island High School in 1938 before attending Augustana College, and graduating from the University of Iowa in 1942. Stanley became a Certified Public Accountant in Illinois in 1943, entered the U.S. Army, then shipped off for North Africa in WWII with the Fifth Army. His unit moved up the boot of Italy to Naples where he served as a Technical Sergeant, coordinating a team of accountants managing supplies for the U.S. troops. He qualified for promotion to Warrant Officer before his discharge in 1945. On August 24, 1947, he married his sweetheart, Anna Katz of Davenport.

After the war, Stanley joined his parents in business at Hyman's Furniture Store, Inc. in downtown Rock Island, eventually taking over the business and expanding it along Second Avenue, ultimately moving to the former McCabe's building on Third Avenue. In his tenure as president of Hyman's stretching from 1955 to 2010, he refurbished and occupied many abandoned buildings to "keep the lights on" in downtown Rock Island. He was frequently seen planting flowers and sweeping the streets in front of his properties, receiving a Golden Broom Award for his contributions to the community.

Stanley believed an individual could make a difference and he demonstrated that throughout his life, taking stands on public issues sometimes at odds with "city hall." He supported many public projects, many anonymously, eventually donating his buildings over the years to organizations such as the YWCA and Quad City Arts, among others.

He was honored as Businessperson of the year, and later Citizen of the Year in 1999, and when he retired at age 90 in 2011, he received a Legacy Award for his lifetime success and contributions to the city of Rock Island and the Mayor proclaimed Stanley Goldman Day in his honor.

Stanley and Ann were members of the Tri-City Jewish Center. Stanley loved to travel, taking his family back to Naples in 1965 to meet the civilian Italian families he worked with during the war. He started a family tradition that continues to this day, exploring Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and Israel with Ann, and his children, Robert and Connie.

He is survived by his wife, Ann; children, Connie (Kelin) Gersick, Hamden, Conn.; son, Robert Goldman (Miriam Alfonso), Mill Valley, Calif.; grandchildren, Lily, Rebecca, Andrew, and Sarah; three great-grandchildren, Gwen, Jack, and Lia; his nieces, Lynn Sullivan, Geeta McGahey and Layne Goldman; and long-time store manager, David Rockwell. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Harold and Bernard.

Online condolences may be left at wheelanpressly.com.