Celebrating Glen "Gooch" Goodwin

***UPDATE: WE'RE INCREASING OUR GOAL!!***

Thank you SO very much to everyone who has donated. We've been working to help Wendy with settling Gooch's affairs and it looks like we'll need to hire a lawyer. Even though they were married, Gooch did not leave a will, and has a few complicated matters that will need expert assistance. Unfortunately, the local, regional and national organizations that provide free legal services to people with disabilities do not deal with wills/estate/probate matters. Wendy's friend Adriane has been able to locate a few lawyers that will work with Wendy on a sliding rate, due to her disability status and her fixed income. However, we'll need your help to make that happen, to help Wendy find the peace to begin to heal.

Please, please, please share widely with your networks so we can reach this new goal!

Thank you so much!

***

Hello, my name is Ray Mroczek and I am raising money on behalf of Wendy Russell, my good friend and old neighbor, to help cover the costs of her best friend and husband's unexpected passing. Glen "Gooch" Goodwin passed away on July 19, 2022.

Wendy and Glen were together for 13 years and got married in 2015. Wendy and Glen shared each other's love of the environment and the Patagonia Mountains in particular. Glen and Wendy were one of three couples to confound Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) and worked together there until Wendy suffered from a rare condition resulting in a stroke and her disability status in 2015. Glen’s unexpected passing and the effects of the stroke have made it necessary to ask for your support.

A service to celebrate Gooch's life will be held on Sunday, September 11th from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. in Patagonia, Arizona at the Town park.

Thank you for any amount you are able to give to help with the memorial and other associated costs.

Obituary

Glen "Gooch" Goodwin, beloved Bisbee-Patagonia resident and lifelong Arizonan, passed away on July 19, 2022 at the age of 64.

Gooch was born in Patagonia and spent the first four decades of his life working on ranches throughout the southwest. Endowed with a creative spirit, he learned silversmithing in his early years and launched Gooch Goodwin Silver in 1975, where he made jewelry and other adornments for his clients.

In 2000, Gooch left the ranching life behind and took a job as a seasonal fire lookout on Red Mountain in Patagonia, Arizona. He worked as a lookout for six seasons and was so inspired by the mountains — the landscapes, wildlife, canyons, watering holes — that he picked up photography professionally in 2004. Photography was a life-long interest of his, which he continued to practice up until his death.

Gooch had a passion for the environment: for owls, mountain lions, and coyotes, canyons and oak trees, ravens and wild things. He never left home without his binoculars and was often asked to accompany journalists, students, and gap-year groups to the Patagonia Mountains and San Rafael Valley to talk about his experiences as a rancher and environmental activist. He could be found volunteering for nonprofits in his later years: pulling invasive species, checking wildlife cameras, monitoring springs, and co-founding Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, a nonprofit fighting to protect the water and wildlife of the Patagonia Mountains from industrial mining.

Gooch was also known for his golden heart, his generosity, and his listening spirit. Those who knew him know intimately the deep love he had for others and the compassion he had for their lives. He loved to read and enjoyed trying new things. His many experiences in life included working as a board member, a coffee roaster, a community watchdog, and a wildlands firefighter.

If you would like to also donate in his memory, please consider the Borderlands Restoration Network, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , or the Anxiety & Depression Association.

Thank you for your support!