Life Stories: For 44 years, he taught his Tottenville students to love the written word. Michael Goldman, a beloved educator, dies. He was 88.

Michael Goldman’s early life was shaped by tragedy; his mother died when he was just a young boy. He was raised by his father and stepmother, but his mother’s extended family also stepped in to help care for him. The family owned a shoe store, and as Michael grew older, they began grooming him to work at the family business.

But when Michael went to college, he discovered a passion for something that far surpassed any interest he had in selling footwear. He fell in love with literature. He decided then and there to devote the rest of his life to learning and teaching about the English language and the wonders of the written word.