City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation

Obituary
Constance Goodzeit

Raleigh, North Carolina

Age 90.
Died 06/22/2023.

Constance Goodzeit
Constance Jane Brown Goodzeit left this world on June 22, 2023, at age 90, with her children by her side. Connie was born on May 27, 1933, in New York City to Emma Francis Baumbach and Harry Lewis Brown. On December 22, 1962, she married Carl Leonard Goodzeit. She spent the first half of her married life living in Brookhaven, New York, where she raised their two children, James and Carolyn, and during summers her step-children, Neil and Alison. She was active in her church, St. James Episcopal Church, Brookhaven Public Library, and the Brookhaven Historical Society. In 1990, she moved to DeSoto, Texas for Carl’s new job at the Super Conducting Super Collider Project. After his retirement, Connie and Carl remained in DeSoto. During her time in Texas, she was active in her DeSoto community as well, being a member of the Southwest Women’s Club, her tennis team, and her many clubs, including her book club, her super supper club, and her mahjong group.

Connie loved spending time in the garden, reading, playing and watching tennis, traveling, visiting art museums, and seeing operas. She also loved pigs, and her collection traveled with her from Texas to North Carolina for her final months. Most of all, she loved being around her family and helping look after her grandchildren when needed. She will always be Nana to them. She will be remembered for her smile, which was almost always on her face, and her sense of humor. She liked telling funny stories about the family or things that happened on her adventures, and wasn’t afraid to make fun of herself. She was very independent yet always ready to help others, no questions asked. She could be counted on from everything to painting a room, to cleaning out a garage, to fixing up old furniture, to doing the chores no one else wanted to do. She was smart and tough, but kind and generous, and a savvy investor who was always checking the markets.

Connie is survived by her son, James Edward Goodzeit, his wife Catherine and their children Michael and Victoria; her daughter Carolyn Ann Dubay, her husband David and their children Emma and Olivia; and her stepson Neil Evan Goodzeit, his wife Frances, and their son Elliot. Connie is predeceased by Harry Lewis Brown (father), Emma Baumbach Brown (mother), Carl Leonard Goodzeit (husband), Alison Joan Goodzeit Aller (step-daughter), Barbara Naumann (sister), and Gladys Keating (sister).

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Transitions LifeCare. Connie’s family wishes to thank Transitions LifeCare for the care they gave during the final months of Connie's life at her daughter’s home in Raleigh.

For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.


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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.

Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.

Our Promise

Apples to Apples

Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.


The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.

Genuine Care

We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.


Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.


We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.

State Wide

Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.


Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.

Our Services

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Direct Cremation

$1196.75

Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.

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Cremation with Solidified Remains

$2875.66

We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.

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Cremation with Visitation

$1917.84

City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.

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Immediate Burial

$2497.50

An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.

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Traditional Funeral

$6081.48

We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.

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Green Burial

$3033.75

This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.

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Aquamation

$2640.59

As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.

City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremations