He was born in Boston on April 6, 1938, the son of Robert and Elizabeth Buckley Goldie. He graduated from Malden Catholic High School and then prepared at Lawrence Academy, in Groton, Massachusetts. A member of Dudley House during his Harvard years, he received his A.B. in sociology in 1965.
He was a longtime analyst at Honeywell Corporation, in Billerica.
After retiring from Honeywell in 1992, he worked as a consultant to FEMA on field support in disaster-affected areas.
He enjoyed computers and technology.
He was survived by a daughter, Ellen Martinez, and a son, Bryan; his wife, Irene (Trepaney), died in 1997.