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William Goodrich William Goodrich William Goodrich
In Memory of
William Judd
Goodrich Jr.
1951 - 2018
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Obituary for William Judd Goodrich Jr.

"Some of its magic and some of it’s tragic but I had a good life all the way." - Jimmy Buffett

William Judd Goodrich, Jr. was born on June 20, 1951 - the first son born into the Goodrich family in over 50 years to his parents DeWilla Mae Ward Goodrich and William J. Goodrich, Sr. He was a lovable little redhead with a personality to match and was adored by his older half-sisters Mary Goodrich Budd, Carol Simpson Cloutier and Francis Simpson Salwierz. He leaves behind his children, grandchildren, sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

He grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut and went to Stetson College, with a major in English for a few years before the call of the mountains took him to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Bill was an incredible skier and soon became the local ski school supervisor - he would later use this title (along with his striking good looks) to hire Laura Louise Casebeer as a ski instructor and they married in 1976. Together they had three wonderful children William J. Goodrich III, Lynn Stratton Goodrich Diede and James Stillman Goodrich II, who all quickly became the light of his life.

Bill was a “live-it-up” kind of guy and he constructed a thatched roof Tiki bar in his backyard as an ode to his love of Jimmy Buffett and Key West. He spent his summers maintaining the swimming pool for the neighborhood to enjoy, grilling delicious food, playing guitar, and adoring his 18 ft tall bird of paradise tree that he transported to his deck each summer. He started an exterior landscape company named Our Growing Concern, which he presided over for over 25 years. One of the constants in his life was a group of guys who got together to make audio tapes (about almost anything) called WTIT. His dear friend Bud Fisher probably still has every tape they ever did from the 70’s till just last year.

After his children grew, the mountains called him again and he settled in Rifle, Colorado. He often road-tripped to CA to visit family and his two rowdy grandsons Holden and Avett who loved their “Papa” dearly.

Bill was a man you could always count on for perfectly timed jokes, geography and history facts, the daily weather report in at least 5 different states and hilarious sound effects when trying to get up out of a chair. His love for life and his family was obvious and known because he made sure of that. Bill passed on July 4, 2018 in his home in Rifle, Colorado from complications of the heart.

Wherever he is now we hope the sun is shining (with the perfect temp of 73) and that prime rib is on sale. In closing, Bill always said: “Remember… and you’ll never forget” and it is without a doubt that his family and friends will never forget him.

In honor of Bill his family only asks that you eat the good food, laugh at the good jokes, and tell the good people around you that you love them. He had asked that his ashes be scattered in various locations, which his children will do and a memorial will be planned in Connecticut sometime in the near future.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William Judd Goodrich Jr., please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

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