56 | JANUARY 25 • 2024
G
eraldine “Gerry”
Katherine Goodman,
96, of Birmingham,
died Dec. 24, 2023. She found-
ed the Wells Freight & Cargo
stores in 1975.
She was gracious, generous,
strong and loving, traits she
had every moment of her life.
Goodman was born May 19,
1927, in Cleveland to Cynthia
and Milton Teitelbaum (later
Todd). She was an only child.
They came to Detroit in 1931.
Goodman attended Durfee,
then Central High, graduating
in 1944. She was pretty and was
a model at 17. She was creative
from a young age. She formed
lifelong friendships during
these years.
After high school, Goodman
attended Detroit Tech for
journalism. She was particular
about grammar. Into her 90s,
she was still doing the NY Times
crossword puzzle in pen. She
loved Jeopardy.
After Detroit Tech,
Goodman was hired by an
advertising firm downtown as
a copywriter, proofreader and
cartoonist. She had a long list
of clients. She wrote copy for
radio and TV boxing matches.
She got married in 1948 and
had three children: Marsha,
Wendy and Buzz.
Though she was married at
different points of her life, Buzz
says he and his sisters were
really, mostly, virtually raised
by a single mom.
“
And she was very proud
of that,” Buzz said. “She loved
being our mom. She was a
great mom.”
“Nothing ever seemed to faze
her,” Wendy said. “She raised
us all as individuals and was
always very supportive of any-
thing we did. She was the wind
beneath our wings.”
“She had incredibly high
standards and expectations.
Her parents instilled
very strict and high
expectations in her
of herself, and she
definitely had those
expectations of us,”
Buzz said.
Goodman would
famously enter into
the kids’ rooms in the
middle of the night,
read their papers and make
sure they were rewritten if they
weren’t up to par. Her children’s
academic careers were very
important to her.
She led everything with her
kids with love. There was love
in their food, their phone calls
and their countless birthday
cards each year. There was love
from her in everything.
She loved food, culture, music
and all the finer things in life.
She loved to travel. She was a
strong advocate for women.
“
And she was brilliant. The
most well-read person I’ll ever
meet in my life. We were raised
in houses that had massive
libraries,” Buzz said.
Goodman was a gourmet
cook in many respects, but
also loved midnight runs to
Lafayette Coney Island. As a
night owl, late-night movies
were a staple.
“She was always a favorite
laughing partner, always ready
to have a good time. She had
a fabulous sense of humor,”
Wendy said. “
And she was an
incredible friend, not only to
her friends, but to our friends.”
She was a great role model
for her children as a strong,
independent Jewish woman.
She was very involved in the
community: Allied
Jewish Campaign,
Israel Bonds,
Hadassah. She
belonged to Temple
Israel.
Goodman loved
her grandchildren
beyond words. If
she could’ve inhaled
them, she would
have. Her eyes would glow and
sparkle. Theirs would, too. She
was always so proud of them.
Gerry Goodman was a
woman for all seasons. After
her career in advertising, she
started and ran her own busi-
ness: Wells Freight & Cargo.
The first store opened in
Livonia in 1975.
The concept of the business
was selling discount china and
glassware. Her idea was to buy
and sell factory seconds, close-
outs and overruns.
“Once she started the business,
it was 24/7,” Marsha said. “The
concept was unique and ahead of
its time, and it took off.”
Goodman had a brilliant eye
for products, and the passion-
ate customer base reflected
that. She became incredibly
successful.
By 1980, Goodman was
honored by the Small Business
Administration as Small
Business Person of the Year
and received her award at
The White House during the
administration of President
Jimmy Carter.
The employees, over 100 of
them, adored her. She would
make lunch for the entire ware-
house. She counseled them and
became part of their families.
Goodman was passionate
about the happiness she was
giving people with the prod-
ucts she was selling and the
great pricing. They ended up
opening 10 more stores — in
Michigan, Ohio and Colorado.
It was in business for nearly 20
years.
Her late husband, Walter,
also attended Central High
School. They knew each other
then. They were married for 37
years until Walter passed away
in 2008. He became her “silent
partner” in the business.
Around the same time
Goodman opened her first
Wells Freight & Cargo store,
she also opened a restaurant at
Wonderland Mall in Livonia
called Smart Alex. The restau-
rant offered all of her home-
made soups.
“She truly was a woman
for all seasons,” Wendy said.
“I don’t know anything she
couldn’t do.”
“Whatever she did, she threw
herself into it,” Marsha added.
“Two feet, no question.”
Even in her later years,
Goodman would come up with
ideas for new businesses.
Goodman often told her
loved ones that their conscience
is a “built-in policeman” in
their head, and that is how they
should always think about right
from wrong.
Wendy also noted that Gerry
taught her children and grand-
children to always “think ahead
of their head,” to always look
ahead.
“When I hold a door for
someone or I do something
good, the first thing I say is ‘my
Gerry Goodman Was A
Woman For All Seasons
DANNY SCHWARTZ SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY