I’m not quite sure how I want to broach this, so here we go.

My Mom wanted me to place my eulogy for Dad on his CaringBridge blog for those who may have missed his memorial service three weeks ago. Since I’m going to post it online, I figured I would share it here as well, for my friends that couldn’t make it.

This wasn’t easy to write and I have a feeling that it won’t be easy to read.

But I hope you’ll read it and gather some insight as to why my father was such an incredible man.

Statistician. Scoutmaster. Treasurer. Son. Brother. Friend. Husband. Father.
 
These are some of the many roles my father has taken over 53 years of his wonderful life. Many of us know him from some combination and variation of these roles and it’s clear from the amount of people here today, his time in these roles have made an impact on you in some way or another.

Jeffrey William Goodman, that middle part playing a role in how I got my name, was a truly wonderful man as many of you know. But he was many other things. I’d like to take this time and share some of the roles you may not know he had:

Singer. Dad loved music. It’s that love that helped us discover our passion for music, but that passion really hit home with my sister Emily, who is now looking to make a career out of her love for music: country music specifically. Dad would always queue up an iPod full of new songs to take to on trips. He spent hours upon hours organizing and filing all his tunes so that he could have them neat and ready to play. Emily really shined to this musical aspect of Dad and loved going to concerts with him, even if he wasn’t too keen on whoever was playing. The other thing he loved to do was relating to music was to try and take everyday phrases and sing them. For example: when the doctors told us that Dad only had a few weeks, he reached out for Emily’s hand. Emily asked what he was doing, and I said that it was to hold her hand. Dad responded by singing part of “I wanna hold your hand” by the Beatles.

‘Coach.’ Like most men, Dad loved sports. He did stats for several years for the Riverside High School Lacrosse team, but I never saw him take to a sport like he did to Swimming. He loved to see Jennifer swim and loved to be at the meets. He’d sit there, time watch in hand, to make sure he could tell Jennifer if she had made the time she needed. He had notebooks full of times and heat sheets. He loved being a second coach for Jennifer and that really showed.

Critic. As for me, Dad was my right hand man for trips to the movies. For as long as I can remember, he was the one to take me and see many films and always, without fail, bought popcorn and a drink for us to share. We’d get there early enough to watch the trailers and give a thumbs up or down as to what we want to see in the coming months. During the movie, I’d always lean over to him and whisper “Dad, what will happen next?!” and he’d say, “watch the movie! I’ve never seen it before!” After the movie we’d break it down and ask each other if we had enjoyed it or what our favorite parts were.

Partner. For my mother, Dad was her partner-in-crime. They got to share our achievements together and be proud of us kids together. Most importantly, they loved each other very much and it showed.

My father was a truly amazing man, who when he returned home on that beautiful Monday afternoon, didn’t leave behind enemies. He was a very beloved man. I knew that he was in good hands when Emily and I arrived on Monday, there were a legion of people in our house there to support all of us in any way they possibly could. He was very much loved, by very many people. But I do know that he loved his family and was proud of each and every one of us. Proud of my mom, who never tired of taking care of him, who gave it her all, even when she had nothing left, she somehow found the will to keep on going. He’s proud of Jennifer for again making her times, for Emily to continue host an amazing country radio show and striving to reach her dreams.

But I’m proud of him. I’m proud that he married such an amazingly strong woman. For giving birth to three wonderfully amazing children. I’m proud of him for making us the people we are today. And hopefully you’ll be proud of him for the impact he made in your lives, however big or small.

There’s a quote I’ve often looked to for help during these hard times, and I felt it was worth sharing here:

The way i see it, life is a pile of good things and bad things. the good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.

Today is a day for grieving, there’s no denying that. But, let’s not let the bad things spoil the good things. I think it’s important we continue to do the things that would have made him proud. I don’t want to spend all my time mourning, I want to spend it making him proud and honoring him. And nothing will stop me from doing that.

We love you and we’ll miss you Dad. But it’s not goodbye. It’s a see you later.