Lynn Roy Goodspeed

After a full life that spanned 99 years and 203 days, our dear father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed from this life surrounded by family on October 26, 2023, to join his wife Sophie in heaven. Born on April 6, 1924, in rural Vermont, he was the eldest son of Roy and Janet Goodspeed’s eleven children. Growing up always on a farm, mostly near Wells, VT, he discovered that he loved hard work, dairy farming, gardening, and machines. After his high school graduation in Granville, NY, he sought a trade as a machinist in Rochester, NY. A few years later, realizing he would soon need to serve his country during WW II, he returned to the family farm, now in Charlton, NY, to enlist in the Navy. Awaiting his orders, he began a job at General Electric in Schenectady where he met Sophie Bartman on his first day of work, when she made sure he had something to eat for lunch. Until her death, she never stopped doing that. They corresponded throughout his service in the Navy and were married on October 12, 1946. While away, he had planned to build a home for them on the land his parents owned. He followed through with that plan, building a small home on Sweetman Road with his own hands. He always said that the Navy was very good to him and used the opportunities it provided to get an education in radio communications. He also used his time away in the service to consider his deeper self and embraced the Catholic Church and its teachings. This faith kept him grounded and was a constant guiding light throughout the remainder of his life. As time passed, their young family outgrew the little house, and so they moved to Fort Johnson where they established the family farm. It was where he would reside for the remainder of his days. In that farmhouse they raised 9 children, and welcomed their children’s spouses, their 19 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren. He loved the presence of kids. All kids. Every kid. And sought to reach out to each in his own way with humor, playfulness, nicknames, candy, and cash (AKA “breathing money”). The dairy farm industry was a passion and a business he longed to have succeed. Though his initial effort could not be sustained in the market economy of the 1960’s, his commitment to it never wavered. He was, however, able to live that dream vicariously through the hard work and determination of his son, Peter, and nephew, Bill Zukas, who still operate the farm to this day. One could say that watching the farm ‘operate’ out the windows of his house everyday sustained him for years. For 43 years, he dedicated his professional life working as a switchman in the local telephone company. He was much respected for his mechanical skill, responsiveness to his employer and thoroughness in solving problems. The friendships that began in that workplace were maintained for many years after his retirement in 1987. On July 9, 1991, life as he knew it suddenly and radically changed when his wife of 44 years passed away. In the years that followed, he eventually found and developed new ways of being in the world that always honored his one marriage, but also allowed him company, companionship, and personal love in his life. Besides all the continued family events, he enjoyed many years of an active lifestyle, quite different from the family and farm responsibilities. Pastimes included square dancing, dinner cruises, church dinners, boating and swimming at Pine Lake, hiking adventures, Perth Seniors programs, Pioneers Luncheons and more. Perhaps his favorite trips were the pilgrimages he took to Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre’in Quebec, Canada. The vegetable garden was, of course, never far from his mind. Lynn had an array of interests in his lifetime. Those close to him also became quite familiar with the ins-and-outs of making maple syrup, zoning laws, beekeeping, hunting racoons, egg hatching, raising goslings, ducklings, and chicks, fly fishing, unusual (but sometimes actually helpful) nutritional supplements, fluoride in the water supply, horseradish, cider making, and many other topics of his interest. He pursued endeavors in raising and selling Christmas trees as well as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and seriously considered opening an ice cream shop at one point. And, along with Peter and Bill, he started a mobile home park. He loved sweet corn, butter pecan ice cream, home-harvested honey, turnips, and company. He was principled, dedicated, humorous, hardworking, determined, fiercely independent, and always, ALWAYS family focused. He was less good at following recipes, housekeeping, building fruit fly traps, keeping weeds out of the garden, or doing it someone else’s way. He had his own, wonderful, quirky way of being in this world, and the world is less without him. Lynn is predeceased by his parents, Roy and Janet, his wife, Sophie, four brothers (Seth, Ken, Wilbur, and George), five sisters (Elizabeth, Alice, Mary, Muriel, and Sarah Jane), and his daughter-in-law, Dawn. He is survived by his sister, Kathryn Harvell, along with his nine children and their spouses, (Judi & Chuck Collier, Joe Goodspeed, Theresa Rohling, Tom & Dode Goodspeed, Peter Goodspeed, Pat Goodspeed, Ed & Cheryl Goodspeed, Elaine & Dave Philipson, and Kevin Goodspeed). In addition, he is survived by his nineteen grandchildren (Jessica, Shannan, Dan, Christopher, Allison, Amy, Neil, Steve, Leslie, Laura, Megan, Cory, Kim, Joseph, Tammy, Miki, Andrew, Julie and Tori), and twenty-one great grandchildren (Alex, Ryan, Carly, Grady, Christopher, Julia, Ethan, Maya, Emily, Kalista, Kaliana, Sofiya, Dylan, Ava, Emeliana, Elijah, Levi, Sophia, Raegan, Riley, and Owen). Also, very close to Lynn and mourning his loss, are his nephew & niece-in-law, Bill & Diane and his dear friends Diane Rozdolski and Nancy Hauenstein. Beyond those mentioned above are numerous nieces and nephews. He would occasionally say that we live until our work here on Earth is done. Dad, your work here is done. Don’t worry, though. You left some for us. Your legacy will continue through the family you built. And you showed us every single day how very, very important family is to loving this life. Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, from 4pm-7pm at the Robert M. Halgas Funeral Home, Inc., 111 County Highway 106, Johnstown, NY 12095. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, November 2 at 9:30am at the Sacred Heart Church in Tribes Hill, NY. Burial with military honors will follow at St. John’s Cemetery at 244 Widow Susan Rd, Amsterdam, NY. The family would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Kathy Avery, Community Hospice nurses Jennifer and Julie, and to Father Juanito Asprec for the excellent care and support they provided him in his final days. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Sacred Heart Church, 111 Third Ave., Tribes Hill, NY 12177. He loved it there.

Lynn Roy Goodspeed

April 6, 1924 - October 26, 2023

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Lynn Roy Goodspeed

April 6, 1924 - October 26, 2023

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support