Joseph Franklin Goodwin, 57, passed away after a brief but courageous battle with cancer on October 17, 2013, at his home with his wife by his side.

Born April 26, 1956, in Cumberland, he was the son of the late Joseph Franklin and Virginia Elizabeth (Hawkins) Goodwin.  He was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Edna (Green) Goodwin, and Watkin and Elizabeth Jane (Reese) Hawkins; his sister, Janis Goodwin Costell; and his favorite aunt, Mabel Goodwin Michael.

Joe graduated from Valley High School in 1974, where he played soccer, wrestled, and ran track.  He liked to sing and was a member of the school chorus and was president of the Student Council as a senior.

Joe worked for Safeway when he first got out of high school and has been employed by the Allegany County Board of Education for the past 25 years.  He was presently the head custodian at Northeast Elementary.  He called it “his school” and took great pride in the appearance of the building and ensuring that the students’ safety always came first.  In the winter, “Mr. Joe” would even clear the playground with the snow blower so the kids could “blow off a little stink” and get out of the building if it was warm enough. He loved interacting with the kids.  They made him get well cards and posters when he was ill, and he loved every one of them.

Joe was happiest out in nature.  He loved the outdoors—hunting, fishing, mushroom hunting, gardening.  He could tell you the names of trees and plants and which ones you could eat to survive if you got lost or hurt in the woods.  He took great pride in his garden, especially his tomatoes, and enjoyed making homemade spaghetti sauce and canning like he learned in his grandmother’s kitchen.

Joe is survived and will be dearly missed by his wife of 33 years, Carmel Louise (Devlin) Goodwin; his sons, Joseph Thomas Goodwin, Lonaconing; and John Patrick Goodwin, Baltimore; and their girlfriends, Colleen Watson and Chrissy Cappelli; his sister, Alice Goodwin Saunders and husband, Tom, Danville, Virginia; aunts and uncles, and numerous sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews, and friends.

Joe and Carmel are especially grateful to all her siblings—Mary, Jeanie, Tom, Maureen, Kathy, and Mike—for taking time away from their own families to help them through this difficult period and spend time with them during the past two months.

The family would like to extend special thanks to all the wonderful people from hospice services who gave excellent care and made Joe’s last days more comfortable, especially Jeannie VanFleet, Barbara Simmons, Kris Crabtree, Ann Porter, Jane Adams, Ladonna Dolly, Maricay Welsh, Tracy Root, and Dr. Wagoner.

Friends will be received at the Durst Funeral Home, Frost Avenue, Frostburg, on Monday, October 21, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Michaels Catholic Church on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, at 11:00 am with Father Ed Hendricks as celebrant.

Interment will be in Frostburg Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Western Maryland Health Systems Hospice Services, 1050 Industrial Blvd., Cumberland, MD  21502