Obituary

  Harry Donald Goodvin, known locally as Don, was born Jan. 17, 1923, in Lincoln Township to Harry Ray and Hattie Kunath Goodvin. He was the third of four sons born to the union. His parents and older brothers Vernon and Virgil preceded him in death. The youngest, Elvin Jasper, known as Dutch survives and resides in Bakersfield, Calif.
  Don grew up in Lincoln Township, attended the local county school and worked for area farmers and in local coal mines until he enlisted in the United States Army in 1942 for the duration of World War II. Don worked in the Military Police and Guard at Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver, Colo., and later served in the European Theater of Operations, seeing action in the Battle of the Bulge and the Allies subsequent advance into Germany. He was discharged in 1946 and returned to Adams County to farm.
  On June 5, 1946, he married Velda Marie Phillips, also of rural Adams County. Two sons were born of this union; Darwin, now of Council Bluffs and Gaylen of the rural Corning area. Don and Velda farmed in Adams and Taylor counties until ill health forced his partial retirement. Don approached farming from the perspective of a concern for scientific soil management and conservation, a set of attitudes and skills he acquired in the early post-war years through studies pursued under the auspices of the G.I. Bill of Rights. Don literally reshaped the landscape of every farm he ever purchased, routinely turning brush land into productive farm acreage. His mechanical, electrical and carpentry achievements gave him a neighborhood reputation as a man who could repair nearly anything that could be fixed, and often did it with materials others considered far inadequate to the task. After Don left active farming in 1972, he performed welding and mechanical repairs at a shop in Corning. His interest in farming continues as he bought a number of properties and supervised their rehabilitation for conservation purposes.
  Don's health continued to deteriorate as a heart condition progressively worsened and developed diabetic complications. It was in pursuit of medical treatment for these ills that he went to a Veterans Administration Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisc., Feb 28, 1986, where he died of cardiac arrest the same day.
  He is survived by his wife; his sons, Gaylen's wife Lorna, their daughters, Renee and Angela, and numerous nieces and nephews. Renee and Angela and other youngsters their age will miss the toys Don delighted in building for their amusement.
  Funeral services were held at the Gauthier Funeral Home in Corning March 4 at 2 p.m. with Rev. Howard Wells officiating. Interment was in the Oak Hill Cemetery, Corning.
  Music was provided by Erma Fuller, organist, and Kathy Schafer, vocalist. Casket bearers were Bill Shuler, Duane Nordeen, Marland Travis, Terry Lundquist, Reldon Huntington and C. Douglas Peterson. Honorary bearers were Jesse Given, Gene Herring, Clark Peterson, Robert Holdren, Henry Lundquist and Duane Dougherty.
(Adams County Free Press, Thursday, March 6, 1986)