Barbara Goodwin

On Wednesday, October 4, the heavens opened and welcomed a true and faithful servant of our Lord home again with the passing of Barbara Juanita Cook Goodwin. As in life, her family surrounded her in prayer as she succumbed to the cancer of which she fought so valiantly for five years. Barbara was 77 years old.
A proud graduate of the St. Vincent’s Academy Class of 1957, Barb also graduated from Armstrong Junior College in 1959 and received both her B.A. and Masters in Counseling from the University of South Carolina. Barb spent her entire career in Special Services and Family Therapy and, despite her retirement, continued to serve in an even larger capacity as a leader in the Family of God through her work at St. Jude’s Church in Sumter, South Carolina, Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Port Wentworth, St. Frances Cabrini in Savannah and, finally, her beloved Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Pooler, GA (formerly Pooler Catholic Community).
It was during her treatment and recovery that Barb turned the dream of a Catholic Church in Pooler, Georgia into a reality. Barbara tirelessly advocated the project, met with architects and the Diocese of Savannah, championed and led the “Build in Faith” Capital Campaign Drive and was often referred to as the “First Lady of the Pooler Catholic Community” since she had, literally, started the project and was the first lady to join the new community. A groundbreaking is slated for later this fall. Barb also served her Catholic faith as a Eucharistic Minister and led social services efforts and women and youth efforts while serving her parish in Sumter. Barb spent her retirement growing closer to the Lord, her Savior, and serving him with a sense of joy, a feeling of pride and a never-3ending desire to get things done. She was loved deeply by her church family who greatly mourn her passing.
Preceded in death by her parents, Dozier Pope Cook and Juanita Ila Kitchings, she is survived by her devoted family who kept a constant vigil throughout her final days: Her son Cary D. Goodwin (Sherri), daughter Rhonda G. Barkley (Terry), her loving brother Dozier H. Cook and his wife Toni, her friend and sister Gerri Adams, two grandsons, a granddaughter, a great-grandson, cousins, and other relatives who will miss her dearly.
It was once written that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” With the knowledge that Barb truly gave her Lord everything, those who loved her in life return her back to the heavenly Father secure that the riches of love and faith she planted on earth are firmly rooted in the lives she touched.
On Tuesday, October 10 at 10:00 AM, the family will greet visitors at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Port Wentworth with the Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 11:00 AM, by Fr. Tom Murphy, her pastor, and other visiting priests. A reception will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall following the Mass. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Barb’s honor and memory to the Corpus Christi Church Capital Campaign Fund, P. O. Box 621, Pooler, GA 31322.

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