John "Jack" Goodger

John "Jack" V. Goodger of Sun City West, Arizona, passed away on March 2, 2025 peacefully at home from complications relating to a hemorrhagic stroke incurred in September 2023. Jack was born on March 25, 1936 in Milton, Wisconsin and was the son of Harry and Elsie (Wachlin) Goodger. He is survived by children Steven (Cindy) of Bend, Oregon, and Karin Mellino (Scott) of Lakewood, Oh., grandchildren, Mike (Amy) and Cara (Chad Swanson) and great-grandchildren Amelia and Charlotte and numerous relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, two sisters and his wife, Priscilla for 64 years.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Priscilla Arnold October 18, 1958. They strived to share their daily episodes in the carpe diem mode. They lived in Milwaukee, Wis., Shaker Hts., Oh., Sun City Grand, Az., and Sun City West, Az. most recently as well as a few months in Columbia, South Carolina during some army service.
During his growing up years in Milton, he helped his dad with various farm chores and was always in friendly competition with Grandpa as to which one would be the designated tractor driver for the task at hand. During his school years he worked summers in brother Tom's construction business.
He attended a one-room school for most of his grade school years and was in the Milton Union High School Class of 1954. Following graduation with a BBA in accounting from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, within a few years he obtained a CPA certificate. He was also a graduate of the Corporate Finance Management Program of the Harvard Business School and of Dale Carnegie.
Serving the army in Korea (peacetime) was soon after followed by his Army Security Agency reserve unit call-up during the Berlin Crisis.
He began his business career at Price Waterhouse in 1958 and subsequently advanced to various accounting and financial positions with Bucyrus Erie, Koehring, Ferro, and retired from Pioneer-Standard Electronics (now Agilysys) in 2000 as Vice President Treasurer.
He served on finance committees of various churches and participated in financial organizations including among them the Cleveland Treasurers' Club (president), Financial Executives Institute Cleveland Chapter (director and treasurer), National Association of Corporate Treasurers, and Ohio Society of CPAs. He was a member of Delta Kappa, a social fraternity. In addition, major interests included bridge, boating, dancing, investing activities, reading as well as being a ski enthusiast (he had Steve and Karin on skis very early--she at 4 years old). He was MVP and leading scorer in the senior year of the high school football team. He played the clarinet in school and took piano lessons when he was 69.
If you "knew" Jack, you might be aware of the following. Jack could fix or construct almost anything -either with duct tape or pieces and parts of stuff stored in the garage. Priscilla has accused him of being an interior decorator in a prior life as he was known to rearrange furniture from time to time (usually in an acceptable fashion) while she was away from the house. Others have remarked that he must have been an engineer with cardboard full-size piano mockups he made which were used to determine where to place a piano in a room. In his most recent work years, he says he tossed all his finance/accounting books and replaced them with psychology literature for better understanding peoples' actions/motives in the workplace. He maintained he was a type "C" person except when behind the wheel of a car where he became a type "A".
In lieu of flowers the family suggests writing a check to:
LLUCC Proton (put for Marckini Chair on the memo line) and mail to LLUH, Office of philanthropy P.O. Box 2000, Loma Linda, CA 92354)
Or
to Shepherd of the Hills Methodist Church, 13658 W. Meeker Blvd., Sun City West, Arizona 85375.
A Celebration of Life service is pending.