Shrewsbury – Edward J. Goodney, 93, of Shrewsbury, passed away on September 22, 2023, after a period of declining health.
Ed was born in Worcester and was the son of the late H. Pierce and Edna (Grenon) Goodney. He was predeceased in 2020 by his wife and constant companion for 62 years, Anna T. (Carlomagno) Goodney. Ed was supported and encouraged by his children and their families as he attempted to rebuild his strength after a serious fall in late spring.
He leaves behind his son, Peter Goodney of Southboro, his ex-wife Maura Goodney of Milford, and their son Garrett. He is also survived by his daughter Maria White of West Boylston, her husband Steven, and their daughter Allison.
Ed grew up in a large family and was the second youngest of 5 boys. His brothers Ray, Leo, and Frank predeceased him. He is survived by the youngest brother, George D. Goodney of Vero Beach, Florida. Ed also leaves behind many nieces and nephews.
Ed grew up in Worcester and graduated from St. John’s High School on Temple Street in 1949. He joined the Air Force in 1951 and proudly served our country for the next five years. He then married Ann in 1957. Ed worked for Fenwal Incorporated (which later became Kidde-Fenwal) for 35 years as a laboratory technician.
Ed was a dedicated family man. In the early years of his marriage, he and Ann would take their two young children to visit his parents every Sunday in Oxford, MA, where they would often be joined by some of his brothers and their children. He loved his mother’s cooking and “encouraged” Ann to learn some of his favorite recipes from his mom. The legendary apple pie and baked bean recipes were well perfected over the years after many successful (and some not so successful) attempts to get it right.
Ed had many passions and hobbies – just not your typical ones. He was passionate about his lawn, so much so that he was often asked if it was “real.” When the lawn did not perform well, he dug it up and started over…that’s true lawn dedication.
Ed loved to tinker and was extremely handy. He passed those skills onto his son and grandson, who grew up and took tinkering to the next level. He was also very much into cooking! More of an assistant chef, he would work with Ann to make ravioli, pizzelles, cut up the apples for apple pie, and assist with the Christmas cookie assembly line. He loved watching cooking shows and trying new recipes. He was happy to know he was helping, whatever the task may be.
Ed loved taking care of his home, both inside and out. Mowing the lawn, washing the windows, and even snow blowing were activities he really enjoyed. Those activities became more difficult as Ed’s aggressive arthritis essentially rendered his hands useless…a condition that Ed found very discouraging.
Ed was a supportive father to his children and their families, as well as neighbors and friends. If you needed help, he was happy to give it. Ed did not ask for much and actually had a difficult time treating himself to any kind of luxury – yet he was always willing to encourage others to live life to the fullest in a way that he couldn’t seem to do himself.
The last few months of Ed’s life were challenging. He worked to regain his strength and mobility but his body did not want to cooperate. Pete, Maria, and especially Maura were beside him, caring for him, and just being with him through this decline. He looked forward to seeing Ann once again, and after 93 years on this earth, it was time to go see what kind of recipes she’d been cooking up in heaven…maybe there was something he could do to help.
Ed will be greatly missed.
A graveside service with Military Honors to celebrate Ed’s life will be held at Mountain View Cemetery , Shrewsbury on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 11:00 AM. All are invited to attend.
Chiampa Funeral Home of Shrewsbury assisted with arrangements.
