Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth (Libby) (Muise) Roderick and Gerald Goodwin, her stepfather, Philbert Roderick, and her brothers, Robert, Kenneth (Gus), and Randall Goodwin.
She is survived by a son, Michael Goodwin and his wife Kristen of Warwick, RI, a daughter, Christine Brewer and her husband Christopher of Rochester, MA, her sister, Judith Harabalya of NY, her half sister, Geraldine Sweeney of MA, her grandchildren, Blake, Genele, Brent, and Tiffany, and her great grandchildren, Yasmin, London, Penelope, and Javion.
Donna started fishing at 5 years old by pulling up lobster pots with her father. She drove for Yellow Cab for over 20 years until she found a home at New England Ropes as their very first rope splicer. She had a gift that was soon obvious to the company. Donna was responsible for all custom orders that came through the business. Most of what she learned was with little training. Her capabilities far exceeded any training she received, and she was able to understand how to create things that no one else could. Donna was extremely talented and a master of her craft, while providing the highest level of quality.
As the rope splicing business became more in demand, Donna was able to start her own custom splicing business along with her daughter Chris. Splice Girls was formed in 1998 and brought them much success. Along with her full-time job at New England Ropes, Donna started splicing for R&W Rope and worked part-time at West Marine for over 20 years. She offered custom splicing services to all her customers and continued to charge very little for her work. She loved what she did so much.
Donna was contacted by a trainer for the New England Patriots to make circle belts for the team. That was her first order with an NFL team, which started the journey of working for many other NFL and college football teams. This brought her immense pride. She was a loyal Patriots and college football fan. She would watch every college football game that was available to her.
She had been a full-time employee of R&W Rope since 2020 after being asked to create custom nets for a military application. She was 75 years old at the time and still working part-time at West Marine. She became an integral part of their fabrication team, offering insight and training to everyone that needed it.
Donna was one-of-a-kind. There wasn’t anyone that met her that didn’t fall in love with her personality, her upbeat attitude, and her zest for life. She was always looking out for everyone, and always before herself. When you think of the person that would give you the shirt off their back, well, Donna would have given you the pants too.
She had an unconditional love for all animals and provided a haven for more than can be counted. She passed out keychains to anyone and everyone because she loved to see that person smile at the gesture. She was a real friend to everyone, always checking in on her friends and family, making sure they had what they needed. She was genuine and real and a powerhouse of a woman. Life will not be the same without her.
In honor of her love of all things Garfield, please feel free to wear something orange to her visiting hours.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your local animal shelter in her name. We know that would have brought her immense joy.
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