Joseph Edwin Goodman Jr.

On Tuesday, November 14, Joseph Edwin Goodman Jr. passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his beloved wife of 71 years, Joyce Sommerlade Goodman, and each of his adoring children, Trudy, Leslie, Jill, Kristi, and Joey.

Joe loved the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel with all of his heart!  From his early childhood until the day of his passing, he had an especially deep compassion for all of God’s children.  He sought to relieve the suffering of those in need wherever he found them, and wore out his life in the service of others.  He provided employment for the unemployed, he cared for the widows, the sick, and the afflicted.  In short, he went about doing good!

Joe was born in Phoenix, Arizona to Joseph Edwin Goodman and Rosa Ellen Naegle on November 8, 1927. He was the third of seven children and is survived by his siblings, Peggy, John, and Nedra. He is now reunited with his deceased parents and sisters, Afton, Margie, and Mary Lou.

As a young boy, Joe was up at 4:30 am chopping wood for his grandmother’s stove, milking cows, feeding pigs and chickens, and helping his father with the farm.  He often reminisced about his wonderful childhood in St David, Arizona where he was nearly always outdoors with his best friends—his family and cousins!

Joe was a natural athlete. When chores and homework were completed, he shot hundreds of baskets on his homemade backboard, often in the dark. Following his graduation from Mesa High school he received an offer to play basketball for Arizona State University.  The papers dubbed Joe the “Bulldog Ace”! Throughout his life, Joe loved being in the great outdoors. He looked forward to being with his good friends backpacking, fishing, and hunting.

Joe enlisted in the Army in 1946 and served in Tokyo as a sergeant and clerk for the Commander at army headquarters. Following his service in the military, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the North Central States mission. A mission basketball team was formed where Joe and his companions sang hymns between quarters, and shared the gospel with opposing college teams.

After his mission, Joe attend BYU (and no doubt is still cheering on the Cougars). Joe received his bachelors and masters degrees in education, history and political science. But for Joe, the best part of his BYU experience was meeting beautiful Joyce Sommerlade. She was truly his queen and he treated her that way. They were married in the Mesa Temple on August 29, 1952. 

In the early years of his marriage, Joe taught seminary and worked extra jobs to support his growing family. In the 1960’s, Joe partnered with Reid Johnson and formed several companies, including Industrial Container which flourished and grew until his retirement in 1996.  Reid and Joe were a great team and tried to be generous and fair with their employees.  Their business practices earned the admiration and respect of colleagues, vendors and employees alike.

Joe developed life-long relationships while serving in the Canyon Rim Stake Presidency as a counselor to President Stan Smith, as a Bishop of the East Mill Creek 9th Ward, and in the East Mill Creek Stake Presidency as a counselor to President Bruce Woodruff.  Joe and Joyce served as missionaries in Perth, Australia and in the Salt Lake Inner City Mission.  Joe loved teaching Primary and serving wherever he could. His favorite calling was working in the Salt Lake Temple which he did for nearly 18 years. He found true joy being in the house of the Lord and cherished the friendships of those he served with. Being a Sealer was especially meaningful to Joe where he was able to perform the marriages of many of his grandchildren and seal other families for eternity.

Joe counted his family among his greatest blessings. His children and grandchildren found any excuse to get together. These times were filled with love and laughter and Joe expressing his gratitude for his family and often bearing his testimony of Jesus Christ.

He is survived by his wife Joyce, Trudy Williamson (Jim), Leslie Thomas (Tom), Jill Brady, Kristi Birch (Robert), and Joseph Edwin Goodman III (Laura), his 20 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. They call him Grampy and are his biggest fans. We love you Joe, Dad, Grampy!

In lieu of flowers, if you wish, please send donations to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Humanitarian department. https://philanthropies.churchofjesuschrist.org/humanitarian-services/