Obituary of Allen Douglas Goodwin

Allen Douglas Goodwin passed away February 14, 2023, in Olympia, Washington, where he had lived since 1979.  He was born on September 29, 1938, in Ellensburg, Washington, and was the second son of Frank Alvia and Margaret Isabel (Smith) Goodwin.  He was a fifth-generation Washingtonian, his ancestors having come to Washington Territory in the early days by means of covered wagons and ox teams over the Oregon Trail.

 

Allen graduated from Puyallup High School in 1956, and later received a BA degree in Political Science from Washington State University. He enlisted in the U.S. Army (1960-1963) and served in the Army Security Agency.  Six months of training in radio communications at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, was followed by rotation to West Berlin, Germany.  His enlistment turned out to be more than three years in a time and place of international intrigue and turmoil, and where he witnessed the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961; he was extremely gratified when that shameful relic of oppression was finally torn down in 1989.

 

Allen was employed by the Washington State Employment Security Department as a Program Manager, and retired in early 2001 after 33 years of service.  He worked in Tacoma and Lakewood until 1979, and then relocated to Olympia.  He believed that public service was a rewarding career, and was pleased to spend his last ten years working with the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment.

 

Allen was a lifelong student of history and an avid genealogist.  He had many interests, including gardening, classical music, and travel, but he spent much time studying history and engaged in extensive genealogical research.  He was a longtime member of the Olympia Genealogical Society.  Other memberships included the Yakima Genealogical Society, Washington State Genealogical Society, National Genealogical Society, Towne Family Association, Clan Gunn Society of North America, and the Oregon-California Trails Association.

 

Allen is survived by his niece, Tanya Reece (Randy Kohlhase) of East Wenatchee, Washington; four grandnephews; two grandnieces; and many other relatives, friends and associates.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Margaret Goodwin; his stepmother, Ada (Carlton) Goodwin; his brother, Richard Goodwin; and his nephew, Scott Goodwin.

 

No memorial service is planned.  Inurnment will be at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.  Donations in his name may be made to a favorite charitable organization.

 

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