Willa Bell Goode

On July 15, 2025, our beloved matriarch, Willa Bell Goode—affectionately known as “Nana”—departed this life peacefully at home, surrounded by the love of her family. She was 88 years old.

Willa was born on December 27, 1936, in Kilgore, Texas, to Will and Annie Bell Clark. She was raised there until the family moved to Casa Grande, Arizona, in 1949 in search of better opportunities. She often shared stories of picking cotton after school—an experience that shaped her remarkable strength. She graduated from Casa Grande High School in 1953 and later moved to Tucson, where she devoted 27 years of service to the Tucson Public Library. There, she quietly inspired generations to read, learn, and dream big. Faith, family, and education were the guiding principles of Nana’s life. She was a faithful member of Southside Church of Christ for six decades and a fierce protector of family over the years.

Willa was preceded in death by her parents, Will and Annie Bell Clark; her brothers Ray Jones, A.C. Jones, John Clark, and Henry D. Clark; her sisters Celestine Bacon and Etta Jean Clark; her beloved grandson, Gilbert Goode III and niece/daughter, Sharon Dillon.

She leaves behind a family who loved her endlessly: her children Debra Goode (Kevin Bunkley), Brenda Goode (Gary Black), and Gilbert Goode Jr.; her grandchildren LaShonta (Kory) Fuller, Amber Johnson, Ahsaki Black, Domenique Goode, and Justice Goode; her great-grandchildren Amiya Fuller, Amil Johnson, Dezman Fuller, Ianna Goode, Alanna Johnson, and Prayer Goode—as well as a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, and cherished friends.

Services to celebrate her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on August 4, 2025, at Southside Church of Christ, 2503 E. 36th St., Tucson, AZ 85713, with interment to follow at South Lawn Cemetery.

Her legacy lives on in each of us—in the stories we tell, the books we read, the faith we carry, and the love we share.

Rest well, Nana. You have earned your crown.