Louise Goode

1934 - 2024

Louise Goode
02/10/1934 - 06/03/2024
This week Midland lost Louise Gayer Goode, 90, an award-winning teacher who helped mold teenagers into mature adults, a benevolence worker who helped many struggling families, and a jail chaplain and social worker who worked with women inmates.
Louise was born on February 10, 1934, in San Angelo, TX to her parents, Louis D. and Elsie Gayer. She grew up in San Angelo and graduated from San Angelo High School. After going to San Angelo Junior College and being selected for Phi Theta Kappa, she transferred to the University of Texas in Austin where she graduated cum laude with a major in zoology and chemistry. She also completed a Master of Arts in Bacteriology at the University of Texas.
On October 31, 1952, Louise married W. L. "Boots" Goode, also from San Angelo. After a short time in Austin, they moved to Amarillo where Louise taught Biology at Amarillo High School and played the violin in the Amarillo Symphony. After moving to Midland, Louise played in the Midland Symphony for about 10 years.
She and her husband moved to Guatemala, Central America from 1956 to 1960 and for two years she taught all the high school sciences in the American School. She served as an Elder in the only "English Speaking" Protestant Church in Guatemala City at the time.
From 1960 to 1962, Louise and her husband and two children lived in Tripoli, Libya. They returned to Midland in 1962.
In 1964, Louise began teaching biology at Lee High School in Midland. She was awarded the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Texas in 1974.
Not having her Sundays filled, Louise agreed to hold church services at the Midland County Jail in October of 1972. Even after she retired from teaching at Lee in 1980, she continued to hold services for incarcerated women almost every Sunday for over 50 years. Louise had helped countless women get resettled in Midland with clothes, furniture, jobs, training, advice, counseling, and reentry.
Since 1980, Louise added to her service helping returning inmates, while serving with Hospice and with the Benevolence Committee at the First Baptist Church. She was active with benevolent activities until her death. She was one of the original volunteers for Hospice of Midland when it was getting started and continued to serve at Hospice until 2010.
For several years, she served as Chairman for the Community Partnership Council, which brought inmate speakers to the public schools in Operation Kick-It.
For her many volunteer efforts, in 1989, she was selected and awarded the Golden Deeds Award by the Exchange Club of Midland.
Louise was preceded in death by two sons, William and Richard, and her husband of 67 years.
Memorials may be directed to the Jail Ministry of First Baptist Church, 2104 W. Louisiana Ave, Midland, TX 79701, or a charity of your choice.
Family and friends can leave condolences and sign the online register book at www.harper-funeralhome.com.