Doug Goodell

Doug was born on July 21, 1947, to Byron and Jean Goodell in Granville, Ohio. He was raised in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. A graduate of Governor Livingston High School, Doug was on the football, basketball and baseball teams, and spent many summers on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, where he served as a lifeguard with the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol.

From 1965 – 1969, Doug attended Gettysburg College, where he met beautiful cheerleader, Cheryl Keim, who would become his wife of 54 years. On graduating with a degree in economics, Doug took a job in banking, commuting from New Jersey to New York each day. But he soon applied his extraordinary people skills to a job in sales with Crown Cork & Seal Company in Baltimore, moving his young family to Fallston, Maryland. Doug worked at Crown Cork & Seal for nearly 30 years, ultimately becoming vice president of the machinery division. His work allowed him to travel the world, taking in the sights and experiences with his friends and colleagues and capturing many treasured photographs. After departing Crown, Doug ran a legal benefits company in Baltimore before retiring for good and relocating with Cheryl first to Cave Creek Arizona, then to Williamsburg, Virginia – both destinations that enabled him to indulge his lifelong passion for golf.

Doug had a remarkable ability to connect with people. He inevitably found common ground with just about everyone he ever met, and he cultivated true and lasting friendships. He was relentlessly positive and optimistic and he continued to express genuine care and concern for others, even as he faced his own mortality. In his final days, he was overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of love and support he received, and the family is grateful to all those who visited and reached out. Doug was his humble, humorous, loving self until he had to leave us for heaven. He will continue to be an inspiration to us all.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents, Byron and Jean Goodell of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, and his younger brother, Gary A. Goodell of Colorado Springs. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl Keim Goodell of Williamsburg, Virginia; his children, David Keim Goodell and Susan Lindsay Goodell; his daughter-in-law, Michelle (Kimos) Goodell; his son-in-law, Clayton Gouard; and his grandson, Holden Gouard.

In recognition of Doug’s enduring positive spirit, and per his wishes, the family will host a Celebration of Life on Sunday, April 23, 2023, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Ford’s Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate in Doug’s honor to the American Junior Golf Association or Salute Military Golf Association.