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BORN

1924

DIED

2010

Gene Goodman Obituary

Gene Goodman February 26, 1924 - December 9, 2010 Funeral services for Gene Goodman will be held at the Bakersfield National Cemetery on Friday, December 17, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Following the services, a Celebration of his Life will be held at the UUFKC (98 Sterling Road) beginning at 11:30 a.m. Gene was a previous resident of Santa Fe, NM for almost 30 years. He has lived in Bakersfield, CA for the last 7 years. He passed away at his home on December 9, 2010. He is a veteran of the 5th Armored Division of the U.S. Army. He enlisted in 1942 and served in WWII, Normandy, Central Europe, Rhineland and Ardennes and he was honorably discharged in 1945. Gene was named for Eugene Debs, U.S. presidential candidate, labor leader and Socialist. Gene himself is a self described Itinerant Sociologist. A Secular Jew and an intellectual spirit always seeking to understand the inner workings of his fellow human beings. He loved words, favorite being "cathetic". He built his own home starting at the age of 55, designed and built with his soul, hand crafting the interior. Gene is survived by his wife of 23 years, Elaine; son, Dale Goodman (Li); daughters, Jan Manpearl (Jerry), Gretchen Maxwell (Tom) and Heather Beardsley (Mike); grandchildren, Daniel, Terry, Christian, Lukas and Carson. Gene, from the hearts of your friends and family, your "good enough" was always so much more to us. For additional service information, please contact Basham Funeral Care at 873-8200. Basham Funeral Care www.bakersfield.com/obits

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Bakersfield Californian on Dec. 12, 2010.

Memories and Condolences
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4 Entries

Diza Sauers

July 11, 2011

Gene--- the epitome of a good man. Stumbled across the obit and we just want to say thank you for crossing paths with us on the cosmic journey -- $20 on a Christmas Eve meant a world of difference to our kid one cold and harsh December when we sheltered in your fabulous (FABULOUS!!) house. Though our tenure was brief, the vibes were always right, and you made a difference in our lives.... carry on, untroubled and as ever. Steven Critcher/Diza Sauers/Colin Critcher

ann long

February 3, 2011

True to his name, Gene was a good man, generous, tolerant, kind, and unafraid. My memory epitomizes him as the "earth man," even down to the manner of his locomotion, always --characteristically -- "prowling" around. I have now grown old enough to know that we are all afraid, but Gene was very, very good at concealing his apprehensions, such as they may have been. He made us "wanderers" who sheltered in his "camp" over the years -- this wanderer, at least -- feel safe and secure. Perhaps this had something to do with his military service; coincidentally, Gene served in more than one of the same campaigns listed on my father's discharge papers, though Papa was not a tanker. Given Gene's love of argumentation, he likely would've disputed my assessment of his virtues, and for once, I wish we could have that argument. I shall miss him.

Gene Goodman Community Bulletin Board

Casey Ryan

December 12, 2010

Thanks, Gene, for being a hip representative of your generation and for being a cool neighbor back in the day. We thought of you often this fall when we restored the community bulletin board that you had constructed as a gift for the folks on Apache Ridge Rd. We will be putting a plaque on it to memorialize you. We were sad to see you move to California, even sadder to see you leave this earth. Go in peace and enjoy the journey! Our hearts and prayers go out to Elaine...

Many blessings,

The Sheldons

December 12, 2010

Just saw the obituary in the Santa Fe New Mexican and want to send our heartfelt condolences to all of Gene's family. We know he'll be missed. We missed him when he and Elaine moved from Santa Fe...missed that great house of theirs and the fun times we had visiting them there.

Scott, Susan and Matt Sheldon

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