KENNETH W. GOODSON
July 13, 1920-June 3, 2008
MOUNT OLIVE -- Kenneth Wayland Goodson, 87, died Tuesday morning at home at 291 Cricket Ridge Road.
A service to celebrate Mr. Goodson's life will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Mount Olive, with Dr. Dennis Atwood and the Rev. A. Z. Gurganus officiating. Interment will follow in Maplewood Cemetery.
A native of the Garner's Chapel community, he was the son of the late Paul Ballard Goodson and Erma Waters Goodson. He was a proud graduate of North Carolina State University where he earned a degree in aerospace engineering.
He volunteered for service during World War II in the Army Air Corps, but was assigned to aircraft production for the war effort.
After the War, he joined NACA, which was the forerunner for NASA, where he remained employed until retirement in 1973. He was an aeronautical engineer, and one of his notable achievements was project manager for the BellX-Z rocket powered aircraft.
After retirement, he was an avid gardener who joyfully shared his bounty with the community.
He was a member of First Baptist Church of Mount Olive, where he was a past deacon, a member of the Loyal Soldiers Bible Class, the Baptist Men's Club, the J.O.Y. Singers and had served on various church committees. Also, he was a member of the Mount Olive Rotary Club.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Goodson was preceded in death by his first wife, Margaret Rice Goodson; a brother, A. Bernard Goodson; and several infant siblings.
He is survived by his wife, Erma Mae Amon Faulk Goodson of the home; two sons and daughters-in-law, David and Paula Goodson of Wake Forest and Dr. Larry and Tomasa Goodson of Boiling Springs, Pa.; four grandchildren, Savannah and Taylor Goodson of Wake Forest and Alexandra and Jonathan Goodson of Boiling Springs, Pa.; a sister and brother-in-law, Isabelle G. and Bill Mallory of Mount Olive; a sister-in-law, Nancy S. Goodson of Kinston; two stepsons and daughters-in-law, Robert S. and Janice Faulk of Fayetteville and Wayne E. and Ellen Faulk of Snellville, Ga.; stepgrandchildren, Wendy Faulk of Pennsylvania, Emily and Marc McMullen of Loganville, Ga., Dana and John Keating of Denver, Colo., Susan and Patrick Sweitzer of Monroe, Ga., and Lt. Col. Robert S. Faulk Jr. and Kelly Faulk of Stafford, Va.; three step-great-grandchildren, Charlotte Keating, Jacob Elijah McMullen and Amie McMullen; and two special care-givers, Ernestine Whitfield and Vera Sutton.
Visitation will be at Tyndall Funeral Home Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and at the residence at other times.
Flowers are welcome, or memorial gifts may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 239, Mount Olive, N.C., 28365, or Community Home Care & Hospice, 1201 Wayne Memorial Drive, Goldsboro, N.C., 27532.
A Tyndall Service.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on June 4, 2008 1:48 PM