Richard N. Goodin

Richard Neil Goodin, 87, devoted husband and father of four, died peacefully with his family at his side in Sarasota on April 24, 2019 after succumbing to complications of a stroke and Parkinson’s Disease. Richard was born on March 27, 1932 to J. Edward Goodin Sr. and Elizabeth (O'Brien) Goodin. He grew up in Old Town, Maine and graduated from Old Town High School in 1949. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine in 1953 and a master’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford, CT. He served in the US Army during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1955 as a specialist third class. He went to work at Travelers Insurance in West Hartford, Connecticut. He married Roberta "Bobbie" Goodin (Rogers) in West Hartford, in 1959. He taught English from 1964 to 1974 at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts. He moved to Sarasota in 1974, where he was a speech and hearing therapist and special education teacher, working at Gulf Gate Elementary for most of that tenure until he retired in 1996. Richard loved reading Robert Frost, William Shakespeare and countless other poets and authors. He adored music, from J.S. Bach, Dave Brubeck, Simon & Garfunkel, and others. He was a member of Mensa, and loved Jeopardy!, trivia contests and solving the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle. He was quick with jokes and quotes of his favorite literature. Other loves included collecting shells at the beach, bird watching, playing petanque, traveling through the United States and Europe, and the theater. After retiring in 1996, he became an usher at the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Richard was preceded in death by his wife Roberta in 2018; his sister Gertrude Paula Sullivan of Orono, Maine, and later Sarasota; and brother J. Edward Goodin Jr. of Tilton, New Hampshire, and Sarasota.. He is survived by his daughter, Christine Scott; sons, Thomas Goodin, Daniel Goodin, and Paul Goodin; and sister Doreen Gillespie of Burlington, Vermont. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference — Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken" A memorial service will be held at the Sarasota National Cemetery on S.R. 72 on May 20, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. Toale Brothers Funeral Homes, Colonial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

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Richard N. Goodin

March 27, 1932 - April 24, 2019