Bessie Louise “Bea” Goodwin, 82, of Marshall, passed away Saturday, December 3, 2022 under hospice care at Birches AFC in Leonidas, MI.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, December 9, 2022 at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation, 1276 Tate Trail, Union City, MI 49094. Pastor Marty Burdick will officiate.
A time of visiting will be held for one hour prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 a.m., also at Lighthouse.
Private interment of her ashes will be at Lyon Lake Cemetery in Fredonia Township, MI.
Bea was born on March 14, 1940 in Shelby, Michigan to Chester R. and Mildred A. (Harjes) Drake. The family moved to Marshall when Bea was young. She attended Marshall High School with the class of 1958. She met Barry Goodwin, a Coldwater boy, while swimming during the summer out at the Clarendon Pond. They fell in love and married on June 15, 1957 at the Brooks United Methodist Church in downtown Marshall.
The couple moved around for several years while Barry was serving in the Air Force. In 1960 they returned home to Marshall and began raising a family together. In 1967, they moved to Barry’s family homestead in Girard Township. While living in Girard, Bea was primarily a homemaker, but she worked in the meat department at the Kroger store in Coldwater. She enjoyed the many customers she served over the years and retired in 1986.
Some of Bea’s favorite times were having pool parties with family at her home in Girard. She was fond of all the families who lived nearby during her time living there. She had the gift of gab and enjoyed bowling in the ladies league at Coldwater Recreation for many years.
She and Barry moved to Foster City in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula when he retired in 1994. They spent most of their retirement years going to auctions to add to her many collections and riding the logging trails on their ATV. They made several special friends in U.P. and kept in touch with them even after moving back to southern Michigan in 2016. Barry preceded her in death in March of 2020.
Bea is survived by her three children, Kathryn Goodwin-Coats of Coldwater, Joanne (Dr. Terry) Whiteman of DeWitt and Barry “Lynn” (Robin) Goodwin, Jr. of Burlington; her sisters, Frances Smith of Marshall and Marlene Grimes of Phoenix, AZ; her sister-in-law, Jean Drake of Jonesville; grandchildren, Bryan Bailey, Matthew (Laura) Bailey, River (Allison) Karaba, Tate (Sarah) Goodwin, Scotty (Lupka) Goodwin, Emily L. (Jason) Beam, Amy (Brian) Markos, Emily A. (Adam) Kane, Bailey Buroker, Joshua and Anna Whiteman; and many great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, Bea was preceded in death by her parents; her infant son, Scotty Warren Goodwin in 1962; her brother, Walter Drake; and her sister, Ruth Taylor.
The family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude to the staff at Birches AFC for the care provided to Bea in her final days.
Memorial donations are suggested to the Salvation Army, 400 Capital Avenue N.E., Battle Creek, MI 49017.
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