Steven Theodore Goodman was born to Nelson and Gina Goodman in Loma Linda, California. Steven graced us with a 9-pound 9-ounce giant sweet baby body and a heart that shined like a diamond on February 7, 1990. Steven was a wonderful baby, so intelligent, so curious and so genuinely caring and loving.
Over the years he grew up from being a little squirt to being a heartthrob and being one of the greatest messengers for Christ, our Lord and Savior, that many of us have ever known. Steven graduated from high school in 2008, devoting two years to track- where he placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd with his team. Steven also dedicated his 11th and 12th grade years to working with developmentally delayed and Down syndrome children’s classrooms. Steven was always so proud to see how the students continued to blossom and he loved to celebrate their intelligence and loving nature every day.
Steven stayed curious and connected with Christ through his own ups and downs while finally truly accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior on January 23rd, 2013. After Steven accepted Christ, for him, the race was on like Donkey Kong to minister, to share the word, the glory and profound love of Christ with anyone and everyone he could. Steven shared his love of Christ with thousands, be it through face-to-face, one-on-one prayers and discussions, and over social media posts. In 2013 to 2019, Steven stayed at the Men’s Ranch, A Sober Living Facility that uses Christ as its foundation and pillars to redirecting those who struggle with addiction to give their lives back to our one true King, Christ himself. Steven was in the program for maybe 4-6 months when he leveled up to an overseer, developing more and more of his own way to receive the Word and deliver that message of God back to the world, up to the very moment he was called back Home.
In 2016, Steven met a woman that the Lord was leading him to, who would later become his wife; Brandy. Brandy had a daughter from a prior relationship, and at the very moment that Steven heard of this daughter- she was HIS daughter- without the need for a title like step or adopted, but she was Steven and Brandy’s daughter, Mercedes. Steven and Brandy’s marriage in 2020 solidified this into fact. Mercedes was in fact, his daughter. Their love created another sweet baby, Echo Kinzley Goodman, who was born February 7th, 2021, on her dad Steven’s birthday.
Oh boy, was he sure proud of his and Brandy’s beautiful baby Echo, he used to hold her up and show her to everyone and say with the grandest of smiles, “I made this!” Steven’s smile brought so much love to any room. Steven’s humor could break ice and his faith moved mountains. Steven was the light and the life in any room, Steven was a presence everyone noticed because he exuded a power from Christ and through his connection with Jesus, it would show as Christ-himself would speak through Steven. Steven always knew what to say and he never held back when God was calling him to work. Steven used his hands, his feet, voice, heart and soul to make sure all he spoke to was a witness of Christ and knew the love that all could experience through Christ.
Steven was called home to Jesus on the evening of January 27th, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Brandy, his two daughters, Mercedes and Echo, his mother, Gina Goodman, sisters Elaina and Hailee, his brother Brett and his niece Harmony. Steven will be truly and deeply missed, but even on his exit he knew how to make us smile, having been a donor, he was able to help at least 10 individuals with being able to walk again.
This is exactly who Steven was, he was our Messenger of God, he was our Loving brother in Christ and he was our light in a dark space. We thank God for the time we had with him and we know, we will meet again one day and, on that day, we will see the plan that God had for taking Steven home so early in life, but we have come to understand that when the fruit is ripe it must be plucked. So, Steven was ripe and God had to pluck him from the tree of life to be consumed by the heavens and become a part of something bigger than we are able to understand.
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