James Goad

1936 - 2016

James Goad passed away Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. Funeral: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Chapel with the Rev. Morgan Hamilton of Peace Lutheran Church officiating. Interment immediately follows in Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to consider a donation to Peace Lutheran Church, 941 Bedford Euless Road, Hurst, Texas, 76053 or Commemorative Air Force (preservation of flying history of the A-26 "Night Mission"), 505 NW 38th St., #33S, Fort Worth, Texas, 76106, or Vintage Flying Museum, P.O. Box 820099, Fort Worth, Texas, 76182. Following graduation from Union Mills High School in Union Mills, Ind., Jim served in the U.S. Army from 1955-58. Mary Jane and Jim married May 3, 1958. With a wife and a '57 Chevy, Jim was ready to chart his life-path. Two years later they were blessed with a son, Brian. Jim began a career in sales with Allis Chalmers Sales and Service in La Porte, Ind. He joined Lubrication Engineers in Fort Worth in 1968 and retired after 33 years. His love for aviation extended to the Vintage Flying Museum, Fort Worth, where he did whatever he could to help get the B-17 "Chuckie" flying and assisted with educational programs at the museum. He was a member of the Civil Air Patrol where he volunteered his talent as an emergency services pilot for over 10 years. As an avid aviation enthusiast, Jim became well-known as the affable pilot of the Vultee BT-15, a World War II Army Air Corps trainer aircraft, affectionately known as "Little Noodle"! Jim tirelessly demonstrated this aircraft for the Commemorative Air Force at numerous airshows and events throughout the Southwest for almost 20 years. More recently, he was an advocate for the restoration of an A-26 light bomber used in World War II and other conflicts and was thrilled to see its success on the air show circuit in 2016. He was a member of AFHEC tractor club and served on the board. Many friends will remember how Jim hooked up an ice cream maker to the power take-off on a Farmall A tractor that could produce five gallons of ice cream at a time. He enjoyed taking the "ice cream tractor" to family reunions in Indiana and to local fund raisers. He loved Texas Rangers baseball, enjoyed listening to classical music, sharing time with Daisy the cat, playing solitaire and wondering if he had more goldfinches at his feeder than his friend did. Preceding him in death were his parents; two sisters, Ruth Stolte of Bourbon, Ind., and Delores Zeisig of La Porte, Ind.; and infant brother, Frank Goad. Survivors: Jim is survived by his spouse of 58 eight years, Mary Jane Spear Goad; son, Brian (Karen Adams Brinkley) of North Richland Hills; brothers, Raymond "Gene" Goad (Janet, deceased) and Dwight Goad (Bea), both of Union Mills, Ind.; sister, Marylin Goad Holman of La Porte, Ind.; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.