Larry Goodwin

Born Friday, March 21st ,1947 in Great Bend, KS to Marion Goodwin and Helen Crosby Goodwin. Baby brother to Edward Allen Goodwin.

Due to his mother’s declining health, Larry went to live with Helen’s sister, Myrtle when he was about three days old. Myrtle and her then husband, Ralph owned a farm near Great Bend. The farm was known as “Hart’s corner”. Larry began grade school in a one room country schoolhouse. Later, after Myrtle divorced, she took Larry and moved into the town of Great Bend where she met and married Joe Baker. After that, they moved to Hutchinson, KS.

During that time, Larry’s brother, Allen, came to live with them. Larry attended grade school in Hutchinson, he and his brother took part in the Kansas State fair events, where they enjoyed showing rabbits and pigeons.

Sometime later, Myrtle and Joe moved the family to Wichita, KS where Joe worked for the Coleman Company and Myrtle worked at Wesley Hospital. Larry finished his grade school education at OK Elementary, then attended Hadley Jr. High and East High Schools.

As a youth Larry was constantly finding ways to earn money and keep busy. He had a paper route, mowed Lawns, and cleared snow from his neighbors driveways. During high school at East, He had an opportunity to do machine work at Aero Machine Shop as part of his VO Tech training.

This started him on a path to various jobs as a machinist. He was fortunate to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War, because his skills were needed to help make supplies as a machinist at home for the war.

At one time, he too worked at the Coleman plant in North Wichita.

After leaving Coleman, Larry took a job as a forklift driver and managed a warehouse for a broomcorn factory. That is when he moved to the west part of Wichita, and rented a house McComas St.

His landlord, Mr. Hoshaw, decided to play matchmaker and told Larry about this eligible young woman who lived just two doors down. Larry decided to check out this “girl next door.” That girl was Nelda Edwards, who was living with her parents on McComas St. and was teaching first grade at Payne Elementary.

Larry knocked on her door and encountered Nelda’s mother. When he asked to speak with Nelda, her mother was rather reluctant to call Nelda to the door to meet this stranger. However, because of his polite manner, she called Nelda to the door. Larry introduced himself and asked Nelda if she’d like to “perhaps go out sometime, maybe bowling."

Nelda, being somewhat taken back and surprised, politely refused the invitation. However, Larry had somewhat of a persistent quality and kept coming back until Nelda finally suggested that there was a concert that she wanted to attend and Larry, if he wanted, could escort her to the concert. That was the beginning of their courtship. They married on September 27, 1975. The ceremony was officiated by Pastor Dale Lewis at Northridge Friends Church.

At Northridge, Larry enjoyed stewardship, ushering, and working with babies and toddlers in the church nursery and he ensured the church had couches for breastfeeding mothers to be able to sit comfortably and privately care for their child.

Shortly after their marriage, Larry went to work at Chance Industries as a machinist, making parts for amusement rides. He spent 23 years as an employee at Chance. During that time his two daughters were born. Crystal was born in 1977 and Kimberly was born in 1983. Larry loved cuddling his baby girls and watching them grow. Larry’s best friend, Bud Sparks, married Nelda’s sister, Marjean. Bud owned his own construction company and built a new home for Larry and Nelda in Northwest Wichita, in 1982. That is where Larry and Nelda lived and raised their two daughters. When Chance Industries downsized, Larry went to work for Sunshine metals where he retired after seven years.

Larry, never lacking for ways to provide for his family, worked alongside his brother, Allen, preparing and conducting estate sales for the Allen Goodwin Estate Sales Company. He and his brother considered this to be a great way to help other people with a much-needed service. Larry enjoyed using his salesmanship skills in meeting a wide variety of people.

Among his hobbies, Larry enjoyed fishing, playing pool, bowling, coin collecting, bird watching, watching game shows with Nelda, watching western movies, wood carving, and playing cards. In recent years he kept busy making keychains from plastic lacing materials. People would inquire about his activities as he usually carried the materials with him and worked on keychains in waiting rooms and at various places. He especially enjoyed making keychains for people in various sports themed colors.

Larry was a caring and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He loved catering to his daughters and four grandchildren: Kayla, Hunter, Alex, and Alyssa. He spent time with them and gave sacrificially to help them.

Larry’s faith was the foundation upon which he built his life with Nelda and his girls. During his life he learned to worship and depend on his faith in God and our savior Jesus Christ. Larry especially enjoyed watching the antics of the squirrels and the birds from his bay home. He had named two squirrels in his backyard, “shaky” for his shaky tail and “yum-yum” for his love to eat. He enjoyed the Hymn, “His eye is on the sparrow” and would feed his birds daily.

After the passing of his sweet wife Nelda, whom he had been married to for 48 years, Larry was recovering from his own health complications. He was allowed the time to spend closely with his daughters and his grandchildren by watching movies, playing with his newly adopted cat, Nemo, and having a garage sale. Larry had many adopted family members, whom he loved dearly, and loved socializing as much as he could. He adored his neighbors and was grateful he was afforded time to visit with them all.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; his aunt, who adopted him, Myrtle and her late husband Raymond; his older brother, Allen; his best friend, Bud Sparks; his sister-in-laws, Marilyn & Marjean; his mother and father-in-law, Archie and Margurete; and his fishing buddy David Pearson.

He is survived by his children, Crystal (Shawn) Milliken and Kimberly (Kris) Lowmiller; four loving grandchildren: Kayla, Hunter, Alex, & Alyssa; his fur-baby, Nemo, sister-in-law, Carolyn Stands; and many loving nieces and nephews.

Graveside Committal Service will be held privately for the immediate family at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11800 W. US 54 Hwy, Wichita, KS in the Garden of Faith. Celebration of life service will be held at a later date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be designated to the following:

1. Northridge Friends Church – C/O children’s ministry

2655 N. Bullinger St., Wichita, Ks 67204

2. First- Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin types -C/O Darier’s Disease Research

PO Box 1067 Lansdale Pennsylvania 19446

3. Ronald McDonald House Charities

551 N. Hillside St., #100, Wichita, Ks 67214