Harold Lee Goodwin

Harold grew up in the mountains of both Virginia and West Virginia. Being the oldest of eight children, living in the mountains, Harold had anything but an easy childhood. He always shared that if they didn’t grow it or hunt it, they didn’t eat. This is where he learned that to survive, literally, you had to work hard, do things yourself, do things right, work together, be humble, and to never cheat or profit at the expense of others. Well, except when you are running from the Sherriff with an out-of-season deer in the back of your truck. Harold lived the adage of “I had to walk five miles to school, in the snow, uphill both ways.” He shared that was true, depending on the path they took. While attending Pembroke High School, Harold was actually the bus driver, taking his brothers and sisters as well as others on the mountain to school each day.

At the age of 19, Harold joined the Marine Corp and began serving his country proudly. Most of his time in service was spent in Okinawa, Japan. Joining the Marines was the springboard for Harold in leaving his life in the mountains and exploring what else the world had to offer.

Harold began his career working for Home Beneficial Life insurance. It was during his attendance at a Washington Redskin game, with his coworker, that Harold met Diane, the cousin of his coworker. Diane’s mother and father had lifelong season passes to the Redskins. It was from there that Harold and Diane began their 63 years of life together, 61 of them as a married couple. On a side note, we will never consider calling the Redskins the “Commanders.”

Harold continued to make a name for himself in the insurance industry, working for Home Beneficial, Gulf Life and then Sentry Insurance. Harold left the insurance industry and got his real estate license. With that, he went into business for himself, purchasing and selling mobile homes as well as mobile home parks of all sizes. What made Harold different is that he would purchase a park that may have been in disrepair or struggling and he would get it back in working, profitable order, and then sell it. But he would do the work himself. Be it septic, plumbing, managerial, any physical or financial management of the property, with few exceptions, he and coworkers did the work.

Harold had a love for his family, Bluegrass music, fishing, and never missed one of his grandson’s baseball games. He was more loving and giving than anyone will ever know. While he couldn’t read a note of music, he was a self-taught guitarist and could pick and grin with the best of them. He loved his boat and the days of his friends, children and grandchildren fishing in the gulf.

In addition to his wife Diane, Harold is lovingly remembered by his two children, Julia Goodwin and Lee Goodwin; his three grandchildren, Brooke Strzalko, Nicholas Goodwin and Jered Goodwin; his nine great grandchildren, Ava, Serina, Jack, Hudson, Tobyn, Sloane, Landon, Brock and Shayne; his brother and sister, Luther Goodwin and Mary Skaggs. Harold is preceded in death by his parents Bidgy Goodwin and Ruth Harless, as well as his siblings, Donald, Johnny, Violet, Ralph and Bobby.

A celebration of Harold’s life is planned for December 10th, 11 am, at Ascension Lutheran Church: 351 Ascension Drive, Casselberry Florida, 32707. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Wounded Warriors Project or The Alzheimer’s Foundation.