Roger
Roger H. Goodwill
Obituary for Roger H. Goodwill
On Monday, February 15, 2021, Roger Harold Goodwill, loving father and husband, passed away at the age
of 77.
Roger was born December 19, 1943, in Kansas City, KS to Harold and Della (Kline) Goodwill. Because his father was in the military, Roger lived in a number of different places while growing up, including Okinawa, Japan, and Trieste, Italy. Along the way, Roger became active in scouting and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
On October 4, 1962, Roger was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a stalwart member who loved to serve those around him.
While at college, he joined the Air Force ROTC, and later served as a missile control launch officer during the Vietnam conflict, rising to the rank of Captain.
He earned both a Bachelor of Science (1966) and a Master’s of Science (1975) from Brigham Young University, and a Doctor of Arts in Biology from Idaho State University in 1983. After completing his education, Roger worked as a faculty member at Prestonsburg Community College in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, at Northern Marianas College on Saipan in the Marianas Islands, and at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and finally retired from teaching in 2017.
While at BYU-Hawaii, he served as the department chair of the biology department and conducted research on marine invertebrates and pacific golden-plovers.
However, his first and greatest passion was teaching. He loved his students and would work hard to give them a lot of opportunities to learn, grow and experience hands-on fieldwork. He mentored many students (who affectionately referred to him as “Papa G”) through hiring them for the store room, to be TA’s, research assistants, and, of course, providing letters of recommendation.
Roger Goodwill was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Della and his stepfather William Riley. He is survived by his wife Sanoma, his five children, Harold, Alisa, Mathew, Malia, and Edward, his stepmother Ilean, his two brothers, Daryl and Larry, eighteen grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be held on Monday, March 1, 2021, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building located at 2958 S. Recker Rd., Gilbert, AZ 85286. The viewing is at 9 am followed by the funeral service held in the chapel at 10 am. Attending the funeral in person will require following COVID-19 protocols – such as wearing a mask and social distancing of 6 feet apart. The funeral will be broadcast via zoom for those who are unable to attend in person. Please contact Alisa Jones at
sakzsjones@gmail.com
for zoom information.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memories of Roger Goodwill be left in the comments section below or emailed to Alisa Jones at
sakzsjones@gmail.com
On Monday, February 15, 2021, Roger Harold Goodwill, loving father and husband, passed away at the age
of 77.
Roger was born December 19, 1943, in Kansas City, KS to Harold and Della (Kline) Goodwill. Because his father was in the military, Roger lived in a number of different places while growing up, including Okinawa, Japan, and Trieste, Italy. Along the way, Roger became active in scouting and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
On October 4, 1962, Roger was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a stalwart member who loved to serve those around him.
While at college, he joined the Air Force ROTC, and later served as a missile control launch officer during the Vietnam conflict, rising to the rank of Captain.
He earned both a Bachelor of Science (1966) and a Master’s of Science (1975) from Brigham Young University, and a Doctor of Arts in Biology from Idaho State University in 1983. After completing his education, Roger worked as a faculty member at Prestonsburg Community College in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, at Northern Marianas College on Saipan in the Marianas Islands, and at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and finally retired from teaching in 2017.
While at BYU-Hawaii, he served as the department chair of the biology department and conducted research on marine invertebrates and pacific golden-plovers.
However, his first and greatest passion was teaching. He loved his students and would work hard to give them a lot of opportunities to learn, grow and experience hands-on fieldwork. He mentored many students (who affectionately referred to him as “Papa G”) through hiring them for the store room, to be TA’s, research assistants, and, of course, providing letters of recommendation.
Roger Goodwill was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Della and his stepfather William Riley. He is survived by his wife Sanoma, his five children, Harold, Alisa, Mathew, Malia, and Edward, his stepmother Ilean, his two brothers, Daryl and Larry, eighteen grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be held on Monday, March 1, 2021, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building located at 2958 S. Recker Rd., Gilbert, AZ 85286. The viewing is at 9 am followed by the funeral service held in the chapel at 10 am. Attending the funeral in person will require following COVID-19 protocols – such as wearing a mask and social distancing of 6 feet apart. The funeral will be broadcast via zoom for those who are unable to attend in person. Please contact Alisa Jones at
sakzsjones@gmail.com
for zoom information.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memories of Roger Goodwill be left in the comments section below or emailed to Alisa Jones at
sakzsjones@gmail.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Roger H. Goodwill, please visit our flower store.
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