Mary Louise Goodwin

Mary Louise Goodwin (née Detwiler), of Laclede, Missouri, died on Sunday, March 24, 2024 at the age of 98, at the Life Care Center in Brookfield. At the time of her passing she was surrounded by her family.

The funeral service will be held Monday, April 1, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Wright Funeral Home, 1201 West Helm, Brookfield with Pastor Austin Goodwin officiating. Burial will follow at the Laclede Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.

Mary Louise Detwiler was born on December 9, 1925 in Parkersburg, West Virginia to Mary Detwiler (née Sprecher) and Howard Johnson Detwiler. She had two older brothers, Dr. Newton Howard Detwiler and Dr. Howard Frederick Detwiler. After a brief stint in Trenton, New Jersey, her father, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor, was transferred to Takoma Park, Maryland. While there, Mary attended Sligo Training School, graduated from Takoma Academy in 1944 and studied at Washington Missionary College for one year.

Mary married Gilbert Lenell Goodwin Sr. on June 14, 1945 in Takoma Park, Maryland. Their marriage was blessed with five children: Gilbert Lenell Jr., born 1947; Austin Charles, born 1951; Virginia Pearl, born 1953; Howard Thomas, born 1960 and Carol Marie, born 1965.

Raised in the Seventh-day Adventist church, Mary was a devout Christian who embodied the principles of her faith and actively participated in church activities. Over the years she served as church secretary, member of the Dorcas Society as well as leader of her local children’s Sabbath School, Vacation Bible School and Investment program.

Her husband was a Seventh-day Adventist pastor and from 1951 to 1958 they served churches in Salem, Tazewell and Kilmarnock, Virginia. From 1958 to 1969 they were stationed in the African countries of Nyasaland, Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. Upon returning to the United States, they served congregations in Weslaco, Texas, Jasper, Tennessee and Lisbon, Ohio. They then went back to Malawi in 1982 for another two years of service. They returned to Williamsport, Maryland before retiring to Ringold, Georgia to be near their daughter Carol, later following her to Laclede, Missouri in 1999. Family was the center of Mary’s life and she welcomed each new addition with open arms and a loving heart. Even dementia could not erase her ability to recognize her children.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and husband. She is survived by her five children and their spouses, twelve grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Son Gilbert and his wife, Käthe, of Stuttgart, Germany, have three children, who also live in Germany. Their daughter Dr. Luise Goodwin and her husband, Jürgen live in Feldkirchen-Westerham, while their sons David and Simon are students in Freiburg and Dresden respectively. Their son Dr. Bernhard Goodwin lives with his companion Barbara Likus in Munich. Their son Dr. Normann Goodwin also resides in Munich with his wife Ulrike and their four children Marie, Hugo, Sophie und Henry.

Son Austin and his wife, Joanne, of Afton, Virginia, have three daughters and a son. Michelle Goodwin Butler and her husband Jason (Bo) Butler live with her children, Elouise (Eli) and Étienne Rester and their son Marshall Butler in McHenry, Mississippi. Dr. Heather Mancebo and her husband, Luis, live with their sons, Sebastian, David and D’Angelo in Social Circle, Georgia. Jennifer Hembry and her husband Leon live in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her daughter Marcela Betsabé Goodwin and his son Elijah Hembry. Kevin Goodwin and his wife Sarah live with their daughters Emma and Claire in Ooltewah, Tennessee.

Daughter Virginia Goodwin-Gray and her husband, Carter Gray are residents of Memphis, Tennessee. Their son Stewart Gray and his wife Lydia Hackert live in Alexandria, Virginia.

Son Dr. Tom Goodwin and his wife, Joanie, live in Berrien Springs, Michigan. They have two daughters. Sara Goodwin and her husband Eric Lien live in Shoreline, Washington. Bethany lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Daughter Carol McKenney and her husband, Joe, are residents of Laclede, Missouri, where they live with their sons Addison and Carl.

In lieu of flowers a donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 8th Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001 would be appreciated by the family.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Louise Goodwin, please visit our floral store.