Sylvia Ellen Goldberg Hammer passed away peacefully at her home in Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, January 23, 2026. She was 90 years of age.

She was the daughter of the late Sara and Charles Goldberg, sister of the late Linda Goldberg, and beloved wife of the late Roy A. Hammer.

Sylvia is survived by her daughters, Julie and Beth, and her grandchildren Matt, Jen, Ben and Jack.

She was regarded as a gracious, dignified, kind, compassionate, loving, and loyal person by those who knew her, and was a thoughtful and considerate, generous benefactor of many causes and organizations focused on improving the circumstances and conditions of the lives of others.

Over and above all of her many personal interests and pursuits, Sylvia was exceptionally devoted and dedicated to her husband and life-partner, Roy, to her immediate family members and relatives, and to her friends, and continuously, actively tended, nurtured and maintained her connections and relationships with all of them.

She was a loyal and caring sister-in-law to Roy's late sister, Maxine Hammer.

Sylvia profoundly adored her 4 grandchildren. She was always curious and interested to learn about their activities, and religiously demonstrated her unconditional love for them all.

Sylvia was an attentive, loyal and supportive friend to many, throughout her lifetime.

She attended Barnard College in New York, where she and Roy lived for several years following their marriage, before eventually moving to the Boston area.

In the early 1960's, Sylvia worked as an assistant and secretary to the late Erwin Griswold, a dean of Harvard Law School.

Sylvia's personal interests included an avid love for art and classical music, of both of which she was a dedicated patron.

For over 80 years, Sylvia engaged in a passionate, active and disciplined study and practice of playing classical piano music compositions written for both single and duet performance, and dearly enjoyed a 40 year relationship with her piano partner, Julie G.

She had a particular interest in Asian art, and attended Asian Art Studies courses at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

Sylvia worked enthusiastically and diligently for World Boston, an organization that connects people and organizations in academic, medical, cultural, artistic and other learning and progressive fields located around the world to such Boston and New England based endeavors, for the purposes of sharing information, mutually benefical learning, collaboration and connection; all of which are causes and goals that Sylvia had a keen interest in promoting.

Sylvia continued her connections with her former World Boston co-workers, long after she retired from the organization.

As her friend and World Boston colleague, Joanne, expressed, Sylvia "pursued her tasks with calmness and dignity. She will always be a special part of our memories. Never forgotten."

Sylvia's grandson, Matt, expressed his grandmother's sincere, "almost instinctive need to help others," and that she, "never did it for recognition, only to make lives better and easier."

Ben, another of Sylvia's grandsons, wrote of her; "Ultimately and unequivocally, I feel a wonderful pride in the woman she is; unchanged in her kindness, caring and demeanor."

Sylvia was further dedicated and devoted to ensuring the wellbeing of those professional services employees with whom she had longterm, caring and supportive relationships.

A remembrance ceremony for Sylvia will be planned and held this coming spring.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, kind and thoughtful gestures of condolence may best be expressed as donations to New England Center and Home for Veterans, where Sylvia participated in volunteer activities and efforts.

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