Jimmy Ray Goodson

Jimmy Ray Goodson, of Alvarado, TX died peacefully in Fort Worth on Sunday, January 7, 2018 at the age of 80, due to kidney failure. His youngest daughter and son-in-law were by his side and he had been surrounded by his children earlier in the day.

Jimmy was born on September 14, 1937 in Texarkana, TX to Lucian Ralph and Berdie Mae (Southerland) Goodson. He attended Texas High School in Texarkana, class of 1957. Jimmy married Winona 'Noni' Turner on September 30, 1961 and they had five children together who were raised in Arlington. They parted ways in the mid 1990’s but harbored no hard feelings toward each other. Jimmy even pointed Noni out at a recent Goodson-Erwin family reunion and said “That’s my favorite ex-wife over there” with a smile on his face. Before moving to Alvarado in 2000, he lived mostly in Arlington and for a short time in Fort Worth. Although Jimmy wouldn’t openly discuss religion or politics, as a general rule, he did state in recent months that he was ready to go when God was ready to take him. He had a long and very full life.

Jimmy was preceded in death by his parents Lucian Ralph 'Pappy' Goodson, Sr. in 1977, Berdie Mae in 1940 (along with the twin boys she was giving birth to), and his “Mama”, Nora (Erwin) 'Goodsie' Goodson in 1983; sisters - Dorothy in 1932 and Molly (Guyton) in 1981; brothers - Jack in 2007, Bill in 2009, Lucian Jr. 'Bosco' in 1989, Gene in 2017, Lee Erwin in 1983, and Eli in 1990. He was also preceded in death by his little buddy, George, who was his best friend from 1976 to 1988. Jimmy was truly heartbroken when George had to be put down and never had another dog after him.

Other than two stays in England when his mother-in-law was ill, and after her passing, Jimmy worked for Blackmon Mooring-Steamatic or for Steamatic, Inc. for the majority of his working years. He worked nowhere else since 1970 and retired from Steamatic, Inc. on his 78th birthday, in 2015. The plaque he was given when he FINALLY retired said it all... “Over 50 Years of Service” because no one really knew for sure how many years he had worked there. His last boss, Bill Sims, said just a few weeks ago, “Jimmy could never be duplicated. He could listen to a machine over the phone and know what was wrong with it and what part numbers were needed to fix it.” His job had him traveling all over the country, which he loved, and he took thousands of pictures during his off time on all those trips. He loved photography, as a hobby, and was always happy to share pictures with anyone who wanted to see them... especially pictures of unusual things from his many travels. Prior to working for BMS, he worked for Pfizer in the 60’s for a short time and the Navy Exchange. Jimmy always worked hard to provide for his family.

Jimmy was a patriotic man who loved his country and had great respect for those who served our country, as he was unable to serve though several of his family members did. His number one favorite song was our National Anthem and he would go out of his way, even crossing a street, to thank a veteran. He loved good music, had a large collection of albums and cd’s including something from almost every genre... Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Ray Price, Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel, Marty Robbins, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Vikki Carr were some of his most loved. Jimmy loved “real country music” as he called it, and good music in general. He followed the Texas Music circuit, attending several music festivals with some of his favorites being Houston Marchman, Larry Joe Taylor, Tommy Alverson and Mark David Manders. He heard a young girl, about 10 years old, singing around a campfire during one of these weekends, and was (in his words) amazed by her voice. He said at that time “That little girl is gonna be big one day. I just hope she takes her time and does it right” She did just that and he was proud as he could be when he saw her on the CMA Awards show in 2017, “little Maren” as he called her, Maren Morris. His photography came into play during this time too, but it was pictures of people then. Friends at these outings called him “Picture Man Jim” and he would be seen, most of the time, with his Nikon, Minolta or Canon around his neck.

In the late 90’s Jimmy took a trip to Terlingua, TX in November during the International Chili Cook-Off weekend. He went for the music and people. Eventually he was talked into cooking chili and started competing throughout the year earning points to compete at the Original Tolbert International Chili Cook-off. We believe the first year he actually competed was 2004. Jimmy didn’t compete for the trophies, plaques or ribbons. He did it because it was fun and he made lots of friends. It’s been said by a few that he would get his chili started then walk around talking to everyone. He entered other competitions in Terlingua a few times, just for fun... beans, salsa and margaritas. Twice his salsa got him a first place trophy and he gladly shared that recipe with anyone who asked for it. He went to the cook-offs for the people and to help with the different charities the cook-offs support mostly, and getting points to qualify for Terlingua was just a bonus. That’s also what he told Lauri, when he started suggesting that she should cook with him rather than just coming to “hang out with her old Daddy”. He said, “If you’re gonna do it, do it for the fellowship and fun. Getting points is a bonus.” She and her husband joined him in Terlingua in 2016 just to hang out and she “got the bug” so to speak. In 2017, Jimmy & Lauri competed together as the 'Texas Bred Chili Heads' in several cook-offs and both placed in the top 10 in several as well. He told her before she competed about all the rules and, especially, not using “chili mixes” that you just add to your meat. He said, “If you’re gonna cheat, don’t compete. There is no honor in cheating.” That rule went for everything in life.

Jimmy never met a stranger, as stated by several people during the time he was in hospice before his passing. He would just walk up to people and strike up a conversation with them. That’s how he met Fritz Rahr, when Fritz was delivering kegs of Rahr’s Ugly Pug Beer to Ye Olde Bull & Bush, and ended up volunteering at the brewery bottling beer on Sunday afternoons. That eventually led to him getting his TABC license, serving beer and passing out glasses during the brewery’s tour and tasting events. He made friends at the Bull & Bush from the time it opened in 1999 as well. At the Flying Saucer in Fort Worth, he made several friends and was somewhat of a surrogate grandpa to several servers there. He loved to talk to people, and he could just about talk your ear off, but he was a humble man. He was more interested in their story than he was in talking about himself, although he loved talking about Terlingua and chili. He told people “If you want a glimpse of paradise, go to Big Bend country and stop in Terlingua too”. He made many friends over the years, with a large number referring to him as part of their family. There were about fifty people, other than his children, who came by to visit him during his last two weeks with us, with some driving over two hours to come see him. He made a real big impression on so many people and probably didn’t realize just how deeply he was loved and admired by so many.

Jimmy is survived by his children - Sandra Goodson, Danny Goodson, Lauri West (and husband Robert), David Goodson and Philip Goodson; sisters - Helen Hildebrand of Granbury, TX and Loy Helen McDonald (and husband Lon) of Fordyce, AR; brothers - Arlis Erwin of Dallas, TX and Dale Erwin (and wife Alice) of Corsicana, TX; sisters-in-law Glenda (Eli) Goodson of Arlington, TX and Evelyn (Gene) Goodson of Mansfield, OH; Grandchildren - Anthony Bosch (and wife Destiny), Jeffrey Bosch, Jaclyn West, Derek West and Joseph West (and wife Nikki); Great Grandchildren - Brayden, Kaydence, Elizabeth and Connor; former wife and mother of his children, Winona 'Noni' (Turner) Goodson; numerous nieces, nephews, and his other 'families'... Steamatic and all the franchises, Central Texas Tolbert Chili Group, the Rahr Brewery, several folks at Ye Olde Bull & Bush, and the Flying Saucer. There are several who held a special place in his heart and we’re sure he made it clear to them.

The family would like to thank the staff at Community Hospice of Texas for the care they showed for Jimmy, as well as for family while there. A big thank you also goes out to the friends of Lauri & Robert who brought food without being asked, those who came to just be there for moral support, and others who called or came by almost daily with hugs.

Jimmy made prior arrangements for his cremation and made it very clear that he did NOT want a funeral. Therefore, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2018 from 6:00pm-9:00pm at the Rahr Brewery, 701 Galveston Ave, Fort Worth, Texas 76104. Family and friends of Jimmy’s, as well as friends of his family members, are invited to attend.

In lieu of flowers or plants, please consider bringing donations for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) or St Jude’s Hospital to Jimmy’s Celebration of Life. These are the two organizations that held a special place in his heart.