CUMBERLAND FORESIDE – Lynn Kraemer Goldfarb, 81, of Cumberland Foreside, passed away at home peacefully on Dec. 12, 2021. The cause of death was brain cancer. A trailblazer for, and a mentor to, working women in Maine, Lynn came of age a half generation before women were told they could have it all. Yet she did. Inimitably pairing traditional and modern sensibilities in the workplace, community, and home, Lynn brought to bear her hallmark graciousness, tenacity, and energy to establish a seat at the table for women in a male-dominated era. Over a five-decade career, she served as an executive of Sun Savings & Loan and Central Maine Power, and founded L.K. Goldfarb & Associates, a successful business consulting firm in Portland. Lynn touched the lives of hundreds of men and women, not only with her contributions to the business community, but also with her generosity and acts of lovingkindness in her adopted hometown of Portland.She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Matthew, her daughter Leah Beth Byer, her son James Goldfarb, their spouses Stuart Farmelant and Alyson Yashar, her grandchildren Olivia (husband Noah), Maxwell, Shayna, Lilly, Alex, and Andy; and her brother Waldron Kraemer. Lynn was born in Newark, New Jersey on Leap Year Day in 1940 to Dr. Manfred and Mrs. Evelyn Kraemer. Evelyn, Lynn, and Waldron lived on several Army bases throughout the Midwest during the Second World War while her father, a gastroenterologist, served in Europe. An army base near a zoo sparked a lifelong affection for elephants. Her collections of elephant miniatures and other pachyderm representations numbered into the hundreds. After Manfred’s untimely death in 1948, Evelyn moved with Lynn and Wally to South Orange, New Jersey, a suburb of Newark, and married Daniel Kasen, a lawyer who readily stepped into the role of raising Lynn and Waldron as his own. Evelyn attended college and was graduated from Wellesley College in 1931. She and Daniel provided a similar upbringing for Lynn and Wally, one that emphasized commitment to family and community, intellectual rigor, and a love of the performing and fine arts.Lynn graduated from Columbia High School in 1957, Wellesley College in 1961, and Columbia School of Business in 1963. Lynn’s was among the generations of students inspired by Carolyn Shaw Bell, an economics professor at Wellesley, to challenge glass ceilings in the business world. One of only five women in a class of 500 at Columbia, she graduated in the top five percent of her class. But in 1962, even an Ivy League MBA did not open doors for women, and Lynn found herself unable to secure a job interview for any management position. Undeterred, she entered the retail training program at Lord & Taylor, where she learned about person-to-person customer contact. Later, she worked at Maidenform, where she performed market and product research, reporting directly to the company’s president.Lynn’s first marriage ended in divorce. Lynn and her baby daughter, Leah Beth, returned to South Orange to live with Evelyn and Daniel. A childhood friend of her sister-in-law introduced Lynn to her future husband, Matthew Goldfarb, in 1968. When Lynn told Maidenform’s president that she was engaged and moving to Portland, the CEO responded, “Portland? That’s where you change trains for summer camp!” Lynn knew it well, having attended Camp Accomac in Maine for eight memorable summers. Lynn and Matt were married in May 1969, the beginning of a romance that lasted half a century; they added a son, James, in 1970.In 1975 and after taking time off from work to raise her daughter and son, Lynn reentered the professional world as a freelance marketing consultant; she also taught marketing and economics at the University of Southern Maine and St. Joseph’s College. Soon, she was hired as the director of marketing and branch banks at Sun Savings & Loan. In 1979, she was appointed Sun’s vice president of marketing and public relations and supervisor of Sun’s expanding branch network. Among her accomplishments was commissioning a then-unknown Kix Brooks to write the bank’s jingle. Lynn always credited Phil Lewis, Sun’s president, for taking a risk on hiring and championing women at a time when many business leaders did not. Lynn found another champion in John Rowe, President of Central Maine Power Co., who hired her in 1985 to head CMP’s customer services. For the next eight years, she oversaw rate forecasting, credit, and collections, and rose to become vice president of customer relations, advertising, and new products. In that capacity, Lynn led CMP’s energy efficiency and conservation initiatives, much to the chagrin of her family, who had to tolerate dim experimental, energy-efficient lightbulbs.Lynn founded L.K. Goldfarb Associates in 1993, and spent the next 12 years advising companies and communities on marketing and regulation, particularly in the energy efficiency sector. Her work brought her across the country and around the world. She retired in 2005. Lynn did not wait until retirement to immerse herself in her community. From the moment she moved to Portland in 1969, Lynn was an active participant in Jewish communal life in the Portland area, serving twice as president of the Temple Beth El Sisterhood and as president of the National Council of Jewish Women. She also loyally supported the Portland Museum of Art, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and Portland Landmarks and served on their boards for many years. Lynn also served the Western Maine Wellesley Club for 50 years. Following a heart attack in 2006, Lynn became active in the Maine Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign for several years.Friends and loved ones will recall Lynn for her energy, graciousness, and warmth, not to mention her delectable skills as a baker. Less well known was how Lynn mentored countless young professionals, mainly women, for whom a businesswoman as role model was both a novelty and a necessity as doors slowly opened to women in management.A funeral will take place on Dec. 15, 2021 at 1 p.m., at Temple Beth El in Portland, with Livestream access available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7PJhnvHAEt98h4w4CxZZDA/live Immediately following, Lynn will be laid to rest at the Temple Beth El Memorial Park in Portland, with Livestream available at https://www.facebook.com/jonesrichbarnes. Following interment, the family will receive friends at the Portland Country Club with evening services at 5 p.m. Shiva will be observed at Lynn and Matt’s home, 17 Granite Ridge Road in Cumberland Foreside, Thursday 3-7 p.m., Friday 1-4 p.m., Saturday 5-7 p.m., Sunday 2-7 p.m., Monday 3-7 p.m., and Tuesday 3-7 p.m. Evening services will begin at 5 p.m., each night, except for Friday.Please visit http://www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to view Lynn’s tribute page and to sign her online guestbook. Donations may be made in Lynn’s memory to the Winter Gear Closet at Reiche Elementary School (attention Sylvie Montello),166 Brackett Street,Portland, Maine 04102.

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