Barry Lynn Goodwin, Sr, 81, of Marshall Township, passed away at home on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, surrounded by his family, under the care of Oaklawn Hospice.
A private graveside service is being held at Lyon Lake Cemetery in Fredonia Township. A public memorial service will be held at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation in Union City at a later date.
Barry was born November 12, 1938 in Ft. Wayne, IN to Lynn and Mary (Raynor) Reed. His mother died shortly after he was born. He grew up in Girard, where he was raised by his adoptive parents, Warren and Grace (Hall) Goodwin.
Known as “Buck” by many, Barry helped his father operate the family sawmill in Girard. He graduated from Coldwater High School in 1956 and later studied at both the University of Illinois and Michigan State University.
From 1956-1960, Barry proudly served in the U.S. Air Force, where he taught flight control panels and instrumentation.
On June 15, 1957, he married the former Bessie “Bea” Drake in Marshall, who survives him.
For 35 years Barry worked at Eaton Manufacturing in Marshall, a job that took him to Japan, Korea and Sweden. He retired in 1996 as a quality control manager and spent the next 20 years residing in the U.P. before moving back to Southwest Michigan in 2016. Barry enjoyed hunting and fishing. He liked to collect Native American artifacts, attend powwows, go antiquing and to auctions.
He knew people from all walks of life and always respected everyone. Barry was a legendary storyteller and would often recall his military years and his many hunting trips to the U.P.
In addition to Bea, his wife of nearly 63 years, Barry is survived by his three children, Kathryn (Bob) Coats of Coldwater, Joanne (Dr. Terry) Whiteman of DeWitt and Barry “Lynn” (Robin) Goodwin, Jr. of Burlington; grandchildren, Bryan Bailey, Matthew Bailey, River (Allison) Karaba, Tate (Sarah) Goodwin, Scotty (Lupka Despotoski) Goodwin, Emily (Jason) Beam, Amy (Brian) Markos, Emily A. (Adam) Kane, Bailey Buroker, Joshua and Anna Whiteman; and many great-grandchildren.
Barry was preceded in death by his parents; his adoptive parents; an infant son, Warren Scotty Goodwin (1962); his half-siblings, Wallace “Wally” Reed and Margie Dean Reed; and his step-siblings, John Van Charles Goodwin, Barbara Goodwin and Ann Goodwin.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Salvation Army, 400 Capital Avenue N.E., Battle Creek, MI 49017.
