Michael Joseph Goodwin, 68, passed away on Veterans Day, November 11, 2021 to join his parents Thomas R. and Lois N. Goodwin and brother, Timothy Goodwin, in paradise.

Mr. Goodwin was a lifelong resident of Ft. Pierce, Florida, and a 1971 graduate of John Carroll High School. He was proud of the 12 years he gave in service to the Air Force (9) and Navy (3). While in the military he earned a degree in General Electronics Technology. He felt honored to be in service to his community by sharing God’s love through participation in a multitude of church outreach programs.

He adored his wife of 27 years, Sherry Goodwin, who he rightly called his angel, and who cared for him during his illness with immeasurable love and devotion.

Mr. Goodwin is survived by his daughters and their spouses: Melody Mylenbusch (Michael) and Monika Trogdon (Justin). His daughters were the apple of his eye and the recipients of his enthusiastic encouragement and unconditional love. He is survived by their 5 children: Kaleb (20), Lukas (17), Myles (14), Magnolia (13) and Marlon (11).

He is also survived by siblings Bonnie Putnam, David Goodwin, Eileen Brooks and Gwen Campbell with whom he shared a childhood full of laughs and adventure.

His daughters remember him in the following eulogy:

Our Dad, Mike Goodwin, radiated the kind of big love, pure joy and eager kindness that drew people in close to soak up some of the free sunshine. That was his trademark. He could always find common ground and carry on a conversation with anyone, full of fun and sometimes carefree to the point of concern by his more levelheaded siblings who’s children loved to recount each mishap endured while Uncle Mike was “in charge.” For example: The Flight of the Truck-bed Topper, when 8 nieces and nephews were piled into the back of dad’s truck bed under a topper that hadn’t been properly latched while rambling up a mountainous gravel road (thank you Carlton for saving us); or multiple instances of canoes, sailboats and rafts flipped under Uncle Mike’s command and miraculously returned to their upright position while we passengers bobbed like shark bait. This of course was cleverly reframed as a good lesson on how to get yourself out of a stressful situation. Dad could put a positive spin on anything. My personal favorite was Pond Swimming with Gators, a close call to which he offered “they were probably scared away by the splashing anyway” to calm our ruffled feathers. We were quite fond of dad’s unconventional ways which provided so much entertainment. I still laugh out loud at the memory of my new husband riding precariously on an overturned bucket while holding tight to the tools hanging from the inside of Dad’s work van. He didn’t think much about details like “Do I have enough seats for everyone I’m picking up from the airport today?” It was just easier to apologize and top it off with “but we had a big time though, didn’t we!”

Yes dad, we sure did.

Aside from sharing his bright personality and love of adventure, dad made sure we knew unconditional love and the secrets to how to choose happiness regardless of circumstances. Dad believed his two girls could conquer the world. When someone believes in you like that, it’s catching. Thanks for the confidence, dad. Of course he would express the same amount of pride and amazement if we made a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich or graduated from college, so we fished elsewhere when realistic analysis was needed.

Mike is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Sherry, who he rightly called his angel, and who has cared for him in these recent years of illness with every last drop of love and devotion God could give a woman. Sherry, we are forever grateful for the way you cared for our beloved daddy. Few hearts are as pure as yours.

He is also survived by 4 of his 5 siblings with whom he shared a childhood full of laughs and adventure. Listed with their spouses: Bonnie Putnam (Albert) of Galion, Ohio, David Goodwin (Jane) of Atlanta, Georgia, Eileen Brooks (Sandy) of Staunton, Virginia, Gwen Campbell of Lawton, Oklahoma and preceded in death by Timothy Goodwin (Heather) of Seattle, Washington.

Dad was proud of the 12 years he committed in military service to both the Air Force (9) and the Navy (3). And especially grateful to be included in a variety of efforts to extend God’s love to people in his community by sharing his beautiful baritone voice in multiple choirs, prayer counseling and teaching, church leadership, missionary trips abroad and homeless outreach programs. He felt the most purpose and passion when he was working for Jesus.

He had many favorite activities and hobbies like woodworking, disc golf, swimming (he was a lifeguard and loved teaching his nieces, nephews and grandchildren to swim), but his greatest love was God and family. The ripple effect of the love and encouragement he poured into those around him will be his enduring legacy as it is passed down the family line.

He has left us for now, but we have filled our pockets with enough sunshine, laughter and encouragement from dad to carry us through to our reunion with him in paradise.