Charles Goldsmith Obituary

Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA - Charles F. Goldsmith, 60, of Manchester-by-the-Sea, passed away unexpectedly at home on June 20, 2025. Son of the late Richard and June (Waterman) Goldsmith, Charles was born in Salem and was raised primarily in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In 1983, he graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. After completing his undergraduate degree at Harvard University (1986), he studied Mandarin in Taiwan for a year. He then returned to Harvard Law School to earn a JD. (1990)
Charles began his legal career in New York as a corporate attorney with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison. He had broad experience as in-house counsel for various companies, working in New York, Beverly, Beijing and Hong Kong before retiring from Hong Kong in 2020 and returning to New England.
From an early age Charles had a broad range of intellectual interests and threw himself wholeheartedly into whatever subject he was studying. He used his wide range of knowledge to compete on the "It's Academic" quiz team in high school. Music has always been one of his primary interests; playing French horn when he was young and singing in college and in local church choirs in the US and abroad.
Once retired, Charles was able to fully indulge his interests in theology, travel, music, and reading. He enjoyed exploring historical sites in New England and locally the old train lines on the North Shore with his beloved dog Alcuin. He sang for years with the choir at St. Mary, Star of the Sea in Beverly, MA and had recently joined the Chorus North Shore. Charles was deeply and privately religious.
Charles is survived by: his sister Kathryn H Goldsmith-DeRagon and her husband Curtis Jean Dragon of Salem, MA, and his daughter Jessica; his brother Richard Stuart Goldsmith and his wife Linda of Pflugerville, TX; his nephew Erik Goldsmith and his wife Rachel and their sons Miles and Evan of San Antonio, TX; his cousin Sharon Darmofal and her husband Christopher and their daughters Rebecca and Julianna of Medway, MA; his uncle Charles Waterman and his wife Jean of Washington D.C.; and his cousin Clark Robinson of Manchester, OH. He always valued spending time with his small, far-flung family, and we will miss his laugh, his unexpected knowledge of some unusual subject, his trash talk and delight in beating us at a card game, and his quiet presence.
His graveside service will be at Greenlawn Cemetery, Salem, MA, on July 28 at 11AM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Contributions may be made in Charles' memory to Food for the Poor, or Heartbeat International. Arrangements by Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot St. Beverly, MA. Information, directions, condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com.
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