Katherine Goldstein, Highland Park parade victim, remembered as a devoted mother, bird lover

Katherine Goldstein, one of the seven people killed when a gunman fired down from a rooftop at people attending Highland Park’s Fourth of July parade, was a loving mother and friend and avid bird-watcher, her friend Jill Kirshenbaum said Wednesday.

Kirshenbaum said she got to know Mrs. Goldstein, 64, while their daughters were in middle school in Highland Park.

They got to know each other on an overnight trip for a STEM-related activity their daughters participated in.

Kirshenbaum said she knew Mrs. Goldstein as a mother and wants people to remember how much she cared about her children and “how much she cared about their future. How much she wanted them to succeed. How much she believed in them. She really loved her family.”

Mrs. Goldstein talked about how much she loved birds and the bird-watching trips that her family would take, she said.

“She was a bird lover,” said Kirshenbaum, who called her friend “the kindest, sweetest.”

Mrs. Goldstein’s family didn’t want to comment Wednesday, but they later released a family statement.

“Katie’s kindness and generosity were evident throughout her life,” the family said. “A superb cook, she always accommodated special requests and prepared meals for extended family and friends. Vegan? Vegetarian? Fish allergy? No problem for Chef Katie.”

She was also a caretake for the family, helping take care of her elderly parents and her mother-in-law who lived with the family in Highland Park, the family said.

Goldstein, who many knew as “Katie,” was born in Washington, D.C., and lived in Boston and Milwaukee. She had a career in social work and later stayed at home to raise her two daughters.

She met her husband, Craig Goldstein, at Marquette University, but they didn’t marry until 20 years later when they reconnected, the family said. The two had two daughters — Alana and Cassie — together. She cheered on her daughters who participated in the high school marching band and local musical performances.

Mrs. Goldstein enjoyed the outdoors, spending time at the nearby Chicago Botanic Garden or going downhill skiing with her family. The family visited Peru, Costa Rica and Panama where she was able to pursue her passion for nature and animals.

“Raising our daughters, enjoying adventures together — I was living a fairy tale,” Craig Goldstein said in the statement.

Elvia Malagón’s reporting on social justice and income inequality is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.