Edward Russell Goff, Sr. Obituary (1928 - 2013)

Surrounded by loved ones, our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Edward Russell Goff Sr. of Sidney, Maine went to be with the Lord and his relatives in heaven on June 25, 2013. Born in Oakland, Maine on December 1, 1928 to the late Edward Russell Goff Sr. Ned and Goldie Cummings Goff McKinnon, Edward Ed spent his adolescent years with his uncle and aunt, Lendall and Florence Goff. Ed attended the one room school house on the West River Road in Sidney for his elementary years of education and went on to graduate from Cony High School. Work was not a stranger to Ed and he embraced it at an early age. Having worked on the Ayotte farm during his high school years, he immediately went to work after high school. Eddie found the love of his life when a cute little brunette from Massachusetts moved to Sidney, Maine. Bernadette Clair Soulnier and Edward were married October 14, 1949 in Sidney. During their 63+ yrs of marriage Ed always referred to Bernie as his "beautiful bride". They travelled extensively throughout Europe and the United States including trips to Hawaii and Alaska, and spent many winters in Florida welcoming friends and family into their home- usually with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. Ed was self-employed all of his life, owning and operating a grain trucking company and then being a partner in "W.S. Pillsbury and Son", a John Deere dealership in Waterville, Maine. He truly believed 'nothing runs like a Deere' and passed this passion on to his grandsons and great grandsons. In his spare time he enjoyed gardening as well as keeping a well manicured apple orchard. Ed was well known for sharing his crops and the fruits of his labor with family, friends, neighbors and the less fortunate. If you visited him in the summer you were sure to go home with a bag of green beans or fresh ripe tomatoes. He always took great pride in his 'weed free' garden. His children and grandchildren remember many days of 'weeding' the garden, aka eating all the fresh peas and beans. The grandchildren still fondly recall time spent in the garden eating fresh veggies or plucking fresh fruit off his peach and pear trees and then enjoying the rest of the afternoon in the grandparents' swimming pool, laughing, playing and making memories to last a lifetime. Ed was a very civic minded individual. In the mid 1960's he ran for the Maine State Legislature. He was one of the original individuals that participated in the initial plans to build a new elementary school in Sidney, upgrading from the one room school house to a new multi-room school. This vision became a reality when the James H. Bean School was built. Eddie also served on the Town of Sidney Board of Selectpersons for a number of years and chaired the board during his tenure. He also served several terms on the former M.S.A.D. 47 board of directors as a board member and chair of the board. In 2010 he was honored with the Spirit of America Award from the Town of Sidney for his part in the formation of the little league program 50 plus years prior. Ed was always known as a hard worker all his life and a committed family man as a husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend to all that knew him. He was never afraid to share his time and devotion to anyone that that was in need. He had a huge heart and was genuinely a concerned person for those who were down and out. Eddie assisted many people in different ways throughout his life and never wanted any recognition for the assistance that he provided. Many times the family was told by individuals, or families of individuals, about the good deeds he had done for them after the fact and this was only verified after speaking with Ed. He touched many people during the course of his life and exemplified what true humanity is about. Ed was predeceased by his sister Hilda Goff Smith and his first grandson, Scott Robert Thorne. He is survived by his wife and 'beautiful bride' of 63 years Bernadette, four children: Edward Ned Goff and wife Ann of Skowhegan; daughters Kathy Thorne and her husband Rob, Gale Loveitt and her husband Gene, and Lendall Goff and wife Wynne all of Sidney and a nephew, Mark Smith, whom he raised through his teen years. Ed is also survived by a sister, Gladys McCluskey of Waterville. Eight grandsons, Albert Goff, James Goff, Lendall Goff, Jordan Goff, Edward Russell Goff IV, Nate Goff, Jeremy Thorne, and K. Peter Allen and four granddaughters, Kimberly Allen Ladig, Heather Allen Karagiannes, Mary Loveitt and Danielle Goff Libby will all miss their gramps incredibly. Ed grandpapa also was a blessing to his 17 great grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews in several states. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the "Scott Thorne Memorial Scholarship Fund" and sent to: Town of Sidney, 2986 Middle Road, Sidney, Maine 04330, Attn: Scott Thorne Fund. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday June 28, 2013 at Mount St. Joseph nursing home to celebrate the life and happiness of Ed. The celebration will continue at the Waterville Elk's Club immediately following the service. The committal service will be held at a later date to be announced. We, the family of this wonderful man, would like to thank the staff and administration of Woodlawn and Cedar Ridge nursing homes. Their kindness and compassion during this difficult time went above and beyond our expectations. Our heartfelt thanks to the nurses and CNA's at both homes. We will forever hold you in our hearts.