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Chester Wayburn Goodson
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July 20, 1930 ~ January 25, 2013 |
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January 28, 2013 |
 Chet
Goodson passed away peacefully in his sleep at
home on January 25, 2013. There will be a
memorial service for him at 1 p.m. Friday,
February 1 at Bonners Ferry United Methodist
Church, 6568 Lincoln Street.
Chet was born to Chester and Veree Goodson in
San Diego on July 20, 1930. Chet joined the Navy
when he turned 17, just in time to serve during
the Korean conflict.
It was at a USO dance in San Jose, California,
while he was stationed at Moffet Field, that he
met his wife, Bobby.
They were married three months later in August
of 1951. Daughters Sue and Nan joined them over
the next few years, and being a Navy family they
enjoyed the sights and sounds of living overseas
and taking advantage of all the sightseeing
possibilities
He loved living in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and had
many adventures, including a successful hunting
trip to find a rogue leopard that was
terrorizing local villagers. He was on a two man
scull crew with the embassy team and enjoyed
many victories.
Hong Kong, Rome, London, Cairo, elephants,
camels and snake charmers are all part of the
memories made.
Chet’s last station was the Pentagon where he
served with the intelligence department until
retirement in 1968.
Chet moved his family to Sunnyvale, California,
where he accepted a position with GTE Sylvania
as military attaché and security specialist
until his final retirement in 1988.
In 1989, daughter Sue had bought her property in
Bonners Ferry; Chet and Bobby followed close
behind, buying the neighboring 20 acre parcel.
They built their dream house on the hill and
enjoyed having the grandchildren next door; they
gardened, traveled and genuinely enjoyed their
retirement. They tried the snow-bird lifestyle
for a few years but found they missed Bonners
Ferry and the mountains and became year round
residents by 1995.
Chet leaves a legacy of love; being the
sweetest, nicest gentleman most people had the
honor of meeting. Ask anyone who knew him and
they would say he was a living example of
someone with a true heart for God, and the way
he loved was an example we should all follow.
He always had cheerful happy attitude, a
servant’s heart and willing hands. He
volunteered his time and efforts in numerous
ways from serving on various church activities
and committees, missions to Mexico to construct
a church and work on homes. UMCOR relief
centers, Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis where he
was the coffee guru for many kitchen teams. He
was also an avid supporter of The Wounded
Warrior Project.
He lived his life graciously and deeply
cherished and loved his family. He will be
profoundly missed.
Chet is preceded in death by his parents Chester
and Veree, brother- in-law Don, and his wife
Bobby.
Chet is survived by brother Solon and his wife
Denise, sister Patty, nieces and nephews Teri,
Michael, Crystal, Norman, Veree and Greg,
daughters Sue and Nan, along with their spouses
Jason and Gari. He was also loved by four
grandchildren, Barbara (Jerry) Drake, Ben (Jynell)
Kropatch, Andrea (Joel) Bjork, Kim (Logan)
Fields, and nine great grandchildren.
Everyone called him Poppa G.
Family and friends are invited to sign Chet’s
book at
www.bonnersferryfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of
Bonners Ferry Funeral Home. |
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