Naomi Goynes was born as Naomi Jackson on October 30, 1933 in Memphis, Tennessee to a minister father. Her first job was as a maid, but she had dreams of attending college. When Goynes attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, she received her teaching degree in home economics. Goynes met her future husband, Theron Goynes, in Nashville, Arkansas where they both were young teachers in 1956.