Joseph Lawrence Goolden

On December 27th, 1993 in Naperville, Illinois, the world was blessed with Joseph Lawrence Goolden. He was nine pounds when he was born which, coincidentally, was the weight of his beard at 22. Joseph and his older brother, Christopher, were joined at the hip right since the very beginning. They spent their childhood laughing and playing together and didn’t stop for 22 years.

The Goolden family was constantly relocating so every couple years Joe would have to start over and make new friends, but that was never a problem. His outgoing personality and quick-witted humor made uprooting and starting from scratch a breeze. He was loved and adored wherever he found himself. He began assembling an army of friends in all of the places he lived, touching each one in unique and irreplaceable ways. Despite the distinctiveness of each relationship, everyone can agree that getting to know Joe was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, which is probably why his friends stayed in contact, even years later!

His selflessness and kindness carved him into a man whom we all wanted to flaunt and cherish. He was everything we ever hoped to be. He gave when he had nothing to give and loved without restrictions. With Joe, there was not a single person in the room not crying from laughter. The light that he brought to our lives is forever, even though he is not with us. The flame of his love is infinite. It seemed almost impossible to have had the fortune of sharing a part of our lives with his. And yet he graced so many people with his love.

Joseph’s life may have been short but he filled it to the brim with fairytale-like friendships, eternal memories and adventure. His adoring and supportive family, his loving fiancé Angelica Matthews and devoted friends would have done anything for him because Joe would have done the same without a moments hesitation. Joe was the man we all strived to be and his strength will guide us through this difficult time.

An informal gathering for friends and family was held at 10:00 am, on Friday, May 20th, 2016, with a memorial service following at Hope Community in Cary, NC.

To honor Joe, the family suggests that others do an act of kindness for someone in need because Joe liked nothing better than to help other people.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to The Community Table in Joe's memory.

The Community Table

23 Central Street

Sylva, NC

www.communitytable.org