Submitted by his wife

William ‘Bill’ Goodin‚ husband of Pamela K. Goodin‚ father of Chris‚ and son of Billie‚ died on February 5‚ 2005‚ minutes after returning from an EMS run. Bill was one of the founding members of the Mt. Victory Volunteer Fire Department‚ which he helped establish in 1979. He served as captain for 20 years. He served as the fire department’s commission member for many years also.

His wife and son also joined the department and are both still members today. His wife served as the department’s secretary for 14 years.

He loved every part of being a firefighter‚ from fighting fires to fundraising to pumping out flooded basements to saving the occasional puppy from a well. He was always there to help.

Bill was severely injured in a logging accident in 1984. After that‚ he couldn’t participate in firefighting for awhile‚ so I would drive him to the scenes so he could make sure his guys were alright.

Besides firefighting‚ he loved collecting and trading in baseball cards with his friends. He also loved lighthouses. His favorite gospel song was ‘I Thank God for the Lighthouse’‚ which we played at his funeral.

Bill was an all around good guy and neighbor. He went to visit his elderly mother every day‚ as well as other elderly people in the neighborhood that lived alone. He called me at work every day at 11:00 a.m. This was our sign that everything was OK.

The fire department retired his unit #601 in 2000 and said there would never be another 601. He was very proud of that. He told me and many others that when his time came‚ he wanted to go right out there at the fire department with his hand on the pump‚ but not driving‚ because he did not want to hurt anyone else. He had just gotten out of the truck when he collapsed. It has been a comfort to me and my family knowing he went just the way he wanted.

Bill’s unit #601 is now displayed on all the trucks at the fire department. He is sadly missed by his family‚ friends‚ and especially his fellow firefighters. As one neighbor put it‚ she does not feel as safe anymore now that he is gone‚ because she knew he was always there to help.