Kinneret Living, Orlando, FL — At 92, Ethel (Ester) Goodmark still radiates warmth, wit, and wisdom from her apartment at Kinneret, where she’s lived for the past five years. Raised in Jacksonville, Florida, Ethel’s life has been deeply shaped by her Jewish upbringing, a 70-year marriage, a fulfilling career, and a devotion to family.

“I was raised conservative,” Ethel recalled, “because my mother came from an Orthodox family and my father from a Reform one. Middle of the road was the best place to go.” Her childhood revolved around the Jacksonville Jewish Center, and although she attended Hebrew school for a time, she never had a bat mitzvah — common for girls of her generation.

Some of Ethel’s fondest memories center on her grandmother Devorah, who lived near the Jewish Center. “She was my favorite person,” Ethel said. “One day when someone came to the door, she introduced me proudly as her eldest tuchtah — a Yiddish term of endearment. That moment always stayed with me.” Devorah passed away just two weeks before Ethel’s wedding, but her legacy lives on in Ethel’s oldest daughter, Deborah Lynn Wofsey, who carries her name.

Ethel met her husband, Morris (Moshe) Goodmark, at a wedding held at his parents’ home. He was on leave from the Air Force. “I was probably dating someone else — I knew all the fellas,” she jokes. “But Morris was handsome, and I liked him, so I went out with him. And I kept going out with him.” The couple dated for three years before marrying and eventually had three children. “We were married for 70 years. With such a long relationship, you work through the difficulties. I was blessed with an amazing husband.”

Morris, a first-generation American born in Jacksonville, came from a Polish-Jewish family who immigrated through Havana, Cuba. At age 7, Morris’ father said, “Son, you were born to work.” This became Morris’ 11th commandment. Morris skipped his final year of high school to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces in September 1942, following the path of family members who served in World War II. Known for his boundless energy, he worked as a cook, became military police, and helped preflight aircraft preparing for Korea. But his true gift was writing — especially letters for fellow soldiers who struggled to express themselves. One day, an officer spotted him at his footlocker and asked what he was doing. “Writing letters for my friends,” Morris replied. That officer handed him six more and asked for replies by morning.

The Goodmarks began their life together in Jacksonville. Ethel’s father ran a produce business, N. Cheppenik & Sons, along with his brothers Abe and Meyer. “Our dads knew each other — they used to gamble together, throwing dice near the market.” Ethel herself entered the workforce at First Federal Savings and Loan, which later became Citibank. She started as a teller and moved up to managing new accounts and investments. Over a 26-year career, she survived seven robberies — more than anyone in Citibank’s history. “I loved my job,” she said. “These days, people work for money. I worked because I loved what I did.”

As the Duval County school system declined, Morris researched the best education options for their children, prompting a move to Maryland. They lived in Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, and Olney, where they opened a food business, the Chicken Basket, in Wheaton. Ethel helped Morris with the books. After selling the business and their home, they eventually returned to Florida — first to Orlando for 15 years, then to Swan Lake in Titusville for 17.

After Morris passed away five years ago, Ethel moved into Kinneret — coincidentally, the same senior living building her mother had lived in on the 8th floor before passing at age 82. “I never thought I’d live here too,” she said. “And it’s right across from our lifelong eye doctor!”

Ethel’s three children remain central in her life: Deborah Wofsey, who still lives in Olney, Maryland, recalled it took a year to convince her mom to attend services at Kinneret. “I’m the ‘good Jew’ on the

 Goodmark side,” Deborah joked, “because I’m the one who still practices. I even did an adult bat mitzvah — since girls didn’t get those in my day”; Belinda “Lindy” Visnich lives nearby in Longwood and takes wonderful care of Ethel. “She takes me out, decorates my apartment — it’s beautiful, I get so many compliments,” Ethel beamed; and Allan Michael Goodmark, who lives in Altamonte Springs, has quietly continued the family’s food industry legacy, having worked for Pizza Hut and now DoorDash.

Though she no longer drives, Ethel stays active thanks to Lindy’s help and her own vibrant curiosity. “I still have my mind, and I love to read,” she said. “I’m a quiet person, but I love going out with my daughter.”

As Ethel spoke, she shared with pride painstakingly preserved volumes of Morris’ writing. Though his beautiful poems and writings never found a publisher during his lifetime, Ethel lovingly preserved his work. “Morris would be so proud to see his words in print,” she said with a smile. “We tried for years.”