Robert W. Goodwin

Robert W. “Bob” Goodwin, of Beaver Dam, passed away at Hillside Manor, Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at the age of 84 years. He was born June 5, 1925, in Beaver Dam, the son of John J. and Minnie G. (nee McNown) Goodwin. Bob attended Beaver Dam High School and graduated with the Class of 1943. In October 1943, he enlisted in the Air Force Aviation Cadet Program and graduated from Ellington Field, Houston Texas as a navigator upon completion of the program. He was discharged from the Air Force in 1946 with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. In 1949 he was united in marriage to Mary Pabst. Of this marriage were four children: Mary, John, Elizabeth and William. Bob graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business in 1952. He returned to Beaver Dam on May 1, 1954 and took a position as Assistant Plant Manager at the Weyenberg Lakeside Shoe Factory. While employed by Weyenberg, he was instrumental in starting the Beaver Credit Union for Weyenberg employees, which has since been merged into the Dodge Central Credit Union. Bob served as treasurer/manager of the Beaver Credit Union until the early 1960s. He was active in the Knights of Columbus and served as Grand Knight in 1961. During his administration as the Grand Knight, the Beaver Dam Council initiated an award for Wisconsin’s Outstanding Catholic Layman. The first recipient of this award was Coach Vincent T. Lombardi. Bob later served as District Deputy of four other councils, Beaver Dam, Columbus, Waterloo and Sun Prairie. Bob was a great sports enthusiast. He held season tickets to the Green Bay Packers for 51 years. He was very proud of that. Bob went to three Super Bowls, one World Series and three Masters Tournaments. He was elected President of Old Hickory Golf Club in 1970. During his administration a major clubhouse remodeling too place, enabling the building to be used as a year-round facility. In addition, the swimming pool was built during his tenure. Both projects were accomplished for a total of $65,000. In July 1972 Bob moved to Florida and accepted a position as a stockbroker with Dean Witter (now Morgan Stanley). He served in that capacity until his retirement in November 1989. In October 1986 his wife Mary passed away. During his years in Florida, Bob was the co-founder and coordinator of the Tampa Bay Packer Backer Fan Club. From a modest beginning, it became the largest non-local fan club in the NFL, with as many as 5,500 Packer fans participating. Because of his effort in organizing this group, Bob was nominated as one of the ten for the outstanding Packer Fans of the Year Award. Bob moved back to Beaver Dam in January 2000 and enjoyed his retirement years playing bridge and golfing at Old Hickory. Bob is survived by his four children, Mary K. Goodwin, John (Pam) Goodwin, Elizabeth Goodwin, and William (Kristine) Goodwin, his sister, Jean Goodwin Messinger, his grandchildren Roberto and Sebastian Alvarez, Kathryn, Leslie and Hannah Goodwin and Timothy Hightower, and two great-grandsons, Evan & Colin Alvarez. He is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Mary in 1986, and his second wife Esther Williams in 2008. Visitation is Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 10-11 AM at St. Katharine Drexel Parish/St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 511 S. Spring Street, Beaver Dam. Mass of Christian Burial will follow at the 11 AM at Church. Rev. Charles Scheurell will officiate. Entombment will be at Oakwood Cemetery. The Berndt-Ledesma Funeral Home-Juneau is serving the family. www.berndt-ledesma.com

Robert W. Goodwin

June 5, 1925 - October 6, 2009