Surrounded by love, Edward Joseph Goughnour of Payson, Arizona passed into eternity Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 at the age of 68 years young. His unique sense of humor, bright smile and kind heart will not be forgotten.
He was born on April 10th, 1951 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to his late parents Edward Joseph Goughnour Sr. and Lorraine (Ruffman, Goughnour) Buffington. He had an amazing relationship with his mother and was fortunate enough to gain a stepfather when his mother remarried the late Joseph Buffington in 1998.
Affectionately known as Eddie by his immediate family, he was the youngest of three children and fondly reminisced about his childhood growing up in Bethel Park with his older brother Jim (wife Delores) Goughnour and his late sister Shirley Anne (husband Mike Kearns). He always enjoyed spending time with his nieces and nephews Joey (wife Heather) Mignacca, Lisa (husband Rick) Millar, Mikey (wife Shanna) Kearns, and David (wife Wendy) Kearns and their many children.
He is proceded in death by his wife Gwenda Mae (Riggs) Goughnour who passed away just shy of their 25th wedding anniversary in 2005. He became an instant father when they married in 1980 as he inherited two step children James (husband Timothy) Finnegan and Jennifer (children Kailey & Hanna) Finnegan. Shortly after they wed, Ed and Gwen welcomed a daughter of their own, Sarah Jo (husband Jonathan Maxwell) who was the apple of his eye. The new family relocated to Arizona in the early 1980s where Edward would spend the rest of his life.
Eddie was a Steelers fan.
His greatest joy was spending time with his family. He took extreme pride in his two grandchildren, Ruby Jo (6) and Parker Jon (15 mos) who loved him dearly as their Papa. While visiting the family in Oregon several months out of the year, he was known to take countless walks, rain or shine, pulling a wagon to appease them. Papa was always up for playing with dolls, dress-up, or any other activity Ruby Jo wished.
He had a life-long love affair with Klondike Bars, Italian hoagies and of course anything with sauerkraut. He enjoyed watching television, particularly game show reruns and would tune in to virtually any sport. However, when his home team, the Pittsburgh Steelers played – everything else stopped. He was a faithful and loyal fan till the end – keeping his Terrible Towel at the bottom of his hospital bed to show off his team spirit. Quite the teller of tales, Ed could often entertain a group with his elaborate stories. He enjoyed beer, gambling, bacon and butter pecan ice cream, often in that order. Music was also an important part of his life, spending hours playing his Gibson Hummingbird guitar and writing song lyrics. He knew the words to every Beatles song and often showed off for his adoring family. Some of his proudest titles included Boy Scout, Mason Junior Deacon and Member of Grace Community Church.
Ed was a Steelers fan.
His life will be honored this Saturday, April 20th at Green Acres Mortuary in Scottsdale, Arizona at 11 o’clock am. He will be laid to rest immediately following the service. A lunch reception will follow at the Mignacca Residence: 4160 E Medlock Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85018.
In lieu of flowers or donations, please buy yourself a lottery ticket tonight, as he would have enjoyed checking the winning numbers the next day with you.
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