Silver Spring, MD - Renee Goldman Popkin, born Rena Lou Goldman, died peacefully on May 31, 2026. Known to everyone as Renee (pronounced "Reenie"), she and her younger sister Marci were raised by their loving parents, Abraham ("Al") and Adele (née Wolfe) Goldman, in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Renee earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in early-childhood education from Penn State University, where she met Terry Popkin, her husband of 62 years. They married in 1964 and moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where they raised their three daughters, Erika, Adria and Ronna.

In 1978, Renee founded the Children's Learning Center (CLC), an independent Jewish preschool, kindergarten, and after-school program in Rockville, Maryland, that she directed for 36 years. She poured her heart and soul into the students, parents and staff of CLC, fostering beautiful beginnings for thousands of children and families in Montgomery County, Maryland. Renee was a visionary educator who integrated children of ALL abilities into CLC's classrooms beginning in the 1980s. The inclusive, learn-through-play approach that she promoted at CLC continues to influence early childhood educators and programs in the area.

Renee was a feminist—teaching and modeling to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchild and all the children at CLC that they could do and become anything they wanted. She was both warm and feisty, had a fantastic sense of humor, and was always brimming with curiosity and wonder. She adored children and animals (miniature schnauzers, in particular), books and reading, watching football and eating at all kinds of restaurants. Most of all, she loved and valued family, and she was especially proud of being Bubbe to her four grandchildren — Bailey, Amber, Ari and Huxley — and her great-granddaughter, Jada.

Renee was also fiercely committed to living. Against all odds, she survived three independent, aggressive cancers: inflammatory breast cancer in 1980, ovarian cancer in 1985 and triple-negative breast cancer in 2006. Her life was a Chanukah-like miracle of far outlasting the terminal prognosis she received with her first breast cancer, just six weeks before her 40th birthday. Because every subsequent milestone birthday was also a milestone anniversary of her survival, she celebrated aging ("I made it to 60!") rather than cringing at getting older. She modeled the daily gratitude of the Hebrew prayer "modah ani," embracing each additional year and decade as a gift in which she could continue loving her family and shining her light, kindness and fiery spirit on everyone who loved and knew her.

She is survived by her husband, Terry Popkin; daughters Erika (Ray) Layfield, Adria (James) Shimada and Ronna Popkin (JP Muller); grandchildren Bailey (Spencer) Salvador, Amber Ellis, Ari Shimada and Huxley Wolfe; and great-granddaughter Jada Salvador. She is also survived by her sister, Marci (David) Frye; niece Jenna Frye (Jason Whittington); nephew Micah (Kathryn) Frye and great-niblings Natalie, Leo and Audrey Frye.