Charles Palmer "Charlie" GOODMAN

GOODMAN, Charles Palmer "Charlie"
Of Walnut Grove, BC, passed away on February 10, 2015 at the age of 83 after a long and courageous battle with diabetes. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Jean; his children, Linda (Don), Dean (Sara), Dale (Heidi) and grandchildren, Jason, Adam, Emily, Sophie and Kennedy. He was predeceased by his parents, Palmi and Elizabeth (McLennan); his brothers, Jimmy, Freddy and Johnny; his sister, Edna (Law) and his eldest daughter, Cathy. Born into this world by his own father's warm hands during a cold winter in Netley, MB, Charlie was proud to be a Friendly Manitobian of Icelandic, Scottish and Cree descent. His first job as a young boy was as a tractor operator on his father's farm and the Kreamer family farm. During World War II, he "served" as a newspaper boy in Dawson Creek, BC - selling newspapers with a smile and an appreciation beyond his years for the US and Canadian servicemen tasked with building the Alaska Highway. This a wartime experience that never left his thoughts and he continued to honour all people in the service by being a lifetime member of the Royal Canadian Legion. After the war, Charlie was a steel worker, first at the Rolling Mills in Selkirk, MB (1947-1955) and then Stelco in Edmonton, AB (1955-1976) - during which time he was a proud union member serving as a shop steward and a founder of a credit union for union members. Blessed with a down-to- earth personality loved by all, he became a successful door-to-door salesman for Electrolux from 1976 to 1989, during which time he acquired the nickname "Vacuum Charlie" among his large fellowship of friends in the North Delta Group of Alcoholics Anonymous. In the '90s, he followed his true calling as an addiction counsellor, first with the Stoney Medicine Lodge on the Stoney Reservation in Alberta and then with the Construction Rehab in New Westminster, BC. Although he retired in 2002, he never fully retired from this calling and continued to help those achieve and maintain sobriety using the same simple set of tools from 1961 to the end of his life: a firm handshake, a smile, a hot cup of coffee, a good set of ears, an endless set of stories and a hearty laugh. Dad spent his final years as a resident of Southwinds Estates in Walnut Grove, BC - a retirement community that he adored. A Celebration of Charlie's Life will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. at Johnston Heights Evangelical Free Church, 9612 152nd Street, Surrey, BC. You can make a donation in honour of Charlie by simply treating someone in need of a good friend to a cup of coffee - just remember to sweeten the coffee with nothing but a warm smile, an understanding heart and a good laugh.
For online condolences please visit www.valleyviewsurrey.ca