James "Jim" Willard Goodwin Jr. Sept. 7, 1942 - July 15, 2008 Jim Goodwin passed away peacefully, joining Christ our Lord, July 15, 2008. He finally succumbed to a brave 10 year-long battle with a rare form of early on-set dementia and Parkinson's syndrome. He is survived by his loving and doting wife of nearly 44 years, Patricia Elizabeth Goodwin; and his devoted daughters, Julie and Sheri; as well as his son-in-law, Shannon; and three grandchildren; and Jim's compassionate canine companion, Maggie. He is also survived by three younger brothers and their wives, Sam and Kim Goodwin of Fayetteville, AR, Stan and Pam Goodwin of Plano, TX and Dr. Mike Goodwin and Dana of Ashland, KY. He is preceded in death by his mother Dr. Gail Goodwin Bolton, father James W.Goodwin, Sr. and brother Jonathan Carlton Goodwin. Jim was born and raised in the Pineville, Louisiana area. He attended Louisiana Tech University where he received a degree in Journalism and also met the love of his life, Pat. Jim was a state award-winning discus-thrower for the La. Tech track team. After marrying, Pat and Jim moved to Beaumont, Texas where he accepted a reporter position at the Beaumont Journal. He soon thereafter accepted a position in the Public Relations Department with Southwestern Bell Telephone where he worked for 25 years and in that time the family transferred to Little Rock, AR, St. Louis, MO, San Antonio, TX, Lubbock, TX, and then finally Austin, TX where he retired as a PR Manager with Bell. Jim was a 40-year member of the YMCA where he found long lasting friendships and loved to play basketball at noon most weekdays. He was a dedicated athlete playing softball in many leagues, three on three basketball tournaments, and participating in the Senior Master Track & Field Games even into his late 50s. Jim was known for his fantastic sense of humor mostly in the form of puns and was often referred to as a Renaissance man for his love of poetry, music and knowledge of sports facts and obscure trivia. We would like to thank Dr. Robert Myerson and Dr. Thomas Hill for their excellent care, his care givers Melody Johnson, Jim White, and Wanda Butler as well as the fantastic staff at Hospice Austin. We would also like to thank the wonderful volunteers at the Westlake Hills, Presbyterian Church "The Gathering" and Bethany Methodist Church "House of Friends" who hold programs for people experiencing forms of Dementia and Parkinson's. They were all a Godsend and the family feels so blessed by their gifts. The family would also like to thank all the many relatives and friends who visited Jim and held him in prayer. They would like to acknowledge Pat's family, Carl and Barbara Bassett, Glen and Linda Bassett, Dr. Wayne Bassett, Lynda and Loyd Sharbono and many nieces and nephews for their loving support. Jim and Pat are members of Riverbend Church of Austin, TX. A memorial service will be held at the Smith Chapel at Riverbend Church (4214 Capital of Texas Hwy. N. - Loop 360) on Friday, July 18 at 1:00 p.m. time and a reception will be held in The Quads immediately following the service. He will be interned at Remembrance Gardens next to Riverbend Church. Honorary pallbearers include: Ron Bower, Dr. David Brace, John Conniff, Phil Haught, Ken Owen, Dick Rhyne, Milburn Taylor, and Jim White. A donation may be made in Jim's name to: the Town Lake Chapter of the YMCA (www.aus tinymca.org/giving), Hospice Austin (www.hospicaustin.org), Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church for "The Gathering" (www.whpc.org), Bethany Methodist Church for "the House of Friends" (Bethany-umc.org) or Capital Area Parkinson's Society (www.capitalareaparkinson.org).
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3-Dec-08
