Louis Goodman, 106; One of Last Remaining World War I Veterans

Louis Goodman, 106, one of few remaining World War I veterans, died Tuesday in Atlanta. The cause of death was cancer.

Goodman was among the nation’s oldest members of Jewish War Veterans of the USA, said Herb Rosenbleeth of Washington, the group’s executive director. There are fewer than 200 remaining World War I veterans in the nation, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

At 105, Goodman celebrated his birthday with a ride in a hot-air balloon. “His only complaint was that it did not take him up high enough,” said his daughter, Shirley Siegel of Atlanta.

Goodman was born in Ukraine. The family came to the United States to escape poverty and pogroms against Jews in Russia, Siegel said.

He became a citizen when he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a medic in France for a few months until the war ended.

Goodman, who was self-educated, became a Linotype operator at the Philadelphia Ledger until the paper folded during World War II. He moved to Atlanta with his wife and ran a variety store. He retired in 1967.