Mariella “Ricki” Goodin, 81, passed on November 20, 2020 after a winless battle with dementia. Ricki was born in 1938 in Davenport, Iowa to deaf parents, Ira and Mildred Ricketts. When she was seven years old her father died and Ricki was sent to live at the Lutheran Children’s Home in Waverly, Iowa. It was there that she learned discipline and the value and comforts of work and routine – three traits that were a defining part of her personality.
At age ten, despite the labor laws, she started working as a carhop at the A&W Root Beer stand, picked vegetables and berries, and sold pumpkins and Christmas trees. The money earned allowed her to trade her second-hand clothes for store bought and occasionally eat at the Woolworth lunch counter. More importantly it was an escape from the reality of the children’s home.
Her favorite activity during those years was getting free tickets to attend performances at nearby Wartburg College. It was there where she saw Ella Fitzgerald, Boots Randolph, the Harlem Globetrotters and her favorite Arthur Fielder conducting the Boston Pops.
She graduated Waverly-Shell Rock High School in 1957 and shortly thereafter began working for the telephone company as a switchboard operator. Soon she met a young airman named Robert Goodin and in October 1959 they married.
Her first child, Jackie, was born in 1962 and soon Robert was transferred to a remote part of Alaska. Ricki and the baby moved to be with her in-laws in Phenix City, Alabama. It was here that she began to first experience the love of family and the joys of motherhood.
Several years later she became a mother to Suzanne and the four lived in Selma, Alabama during a significant part of the civil rights movement. Air Force orders took her and the family to Libya until late 1969 and then finally to Louisiana where her last child, John was born.
Civilian life for her husband eventually led to Central Florida where she lived for 48 years. After the youngest was in school she worked cleaning houses, a job she continued until her early 70s.
She also became an active member at Asbury Methodist Church. Besides her family this brought the greatest joy. She headed the altar guild for many years, arranged flowers for worship, chaired the evangelism committee, took discipleship classes and volunteered wherever she felt she could contribute.
By 2016, her abilities diminished by dementia, she could no longer volunteer at church or serve others. Despite the damage caused by the disease two things remained constant — her faith in God and love of her family.
She is survived by, Robert, her husband of 61 years, three children, Jackie Kahrs (Greg), Suzanne Goodin and John Goodin (Ginger) and five grandchildren – Christopher Welch, Jacob Welch, Alexandra Goodin, Ava Goodin and Marshall Ward.
A private graveside service will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Asbury Methodist Church, Maitland, Florida.