Robert Leroy Goodman

Robert Leroy Goodman, age 77, of Austin, Texas passed away December 15, 2018 at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. Bob was born December 16, 1940 in Albert Lea, Minnesota to Robert and Violet (Kilen) Goodman.

He spent much of his childhood as a budding hunter, fisher, archer, and outdoorsman. He graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1959 and enlisted in the US Navy, serving for 4 years. There he studied electrical engineering, working on P-2V Neptune airplanes and guided missiles at the US Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia. After the Navy, he studied at Minnesota State University in Mankato, before going to work at the 3M Company in St. Paul.

Bob first worked in the lab at the electrical products division of 3M, testing and troubleshooting high voltage products. He traveled as a tech service engineer, diagnosing outages and training workers at installations all across the country. This led to conducting classes and seminars throughout Central and South America, and the Caribbean. His career took him deep into tunnels and mines, off to tropical islands, and inside strange factories and facilities. Though he sometimes professed to dislike traveling, he often took pride in saying “I've been there,” when various exotic locales would come up in conversation. Seeing the need for better instruction and standards in the field, he helped found a national certification board for high voltage technicians. Bob represented 3M as an instructor for the NJATC, and served as an independent consultant with them for a few years afterwards. He retired from 3M in 2006, after 42 years of service. He was the published author of several technical manuals over the years.

He moved to White Bear Lake, Minnesota, when he started work at 3M. He lived in a converted boat house right on the lake, where he met his future wife, the landlord’s daughter. Bob and Judy soon moved to a house down the street, having a son a few years later. Bob was an avid fisherman, loved sailing, and embarked on regular canoe expeditions in the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada. During his thirties and forties, he was a serious road cyclist and bike mechanic. He completed the Ironman multiple times, enjoyed long rides around the area’s many lakes, and participated in various events with the 3M Cycling Team and different groups over the years. In his basement, he built wheels and serviced bicycles for pro riders and neighborhood kids alike.

His division at 3M relocated to Austin, Texas in 1988, and Bob and his family went with it. During his fifties, he got heavily back into the shooting sports of his youth. He became an avid target shooter, occasional hunter, and expert ammunition reloader. He was also a car enthusiast, and became a history buff in his later years.

He was predeceased by his parents and brother John. Bob is survived by his wife Judy and son Brian of Austin, Texas; his half-brother Bud of Jacksonville, Texas; and many nieces and nephews.

Private burial in Albert Lea, Minnesota. There will be a Celebration of Life held in Austin, at a later date.