In Memory

Charlie Goodrich

Charles E. “Charlie” Goodrich

November 8, 1941 – July 30, 2018

Age 76, of Omaha. Survived by his wife Cheryl (Wild) Goodrich; sister, Mary Mayfield of Grand Junction, Colorado; brothers, Mark Goodrich (Beverly), Rex Goodrich (Cindy) and Brian Goodrich (Chris); nieces, Karen Gilbride (Leo), Mara Olson (Erik) and Rachel Goodrich; nephews, Grant Goodrich (Caroline), Luke, Chet, Chad and Alec Goodrich; great nephews, Liam and Brendan Gilbride; great nieces, Maeve Gilbride, Apolline Goodrich, Elin and Elsa Olson.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Thursday, August 16th at 7pm at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 11802 Pacific St., with VISITATION from 6pm to 7pm. Following Mass, a CHAMPAGNE RECEPTION will be held in the Mainelli Center at St. Robert’s, from 8pm-9:30pm. Memorials are suggested to the Buffett Cancer Center or Metropolitan Community College.

 

HEAFEY-HOFFMANN-DWORAK- CUTLER, WEST CENTER CHAPEL

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08/06/18 10:49 AM #1    

Marilyn Handschuh (Woodbury)

I am sorry to hear about Charlie.  Deepest sympathy to his family.


08/19/18 10:11 AM #2    

John Ralph

Thanks to Nancy Hester (Nicholson)

 

Radio engineer Charlie Goodrich, 76, was 'a genius with a healthy dose of common sense'

Goodrich, 76, died July 30, 2018 at the Buffett Cancer Center in Omaha. A visitation and funeral Mass will begin at 6 on Thursday night at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 11802 Pacific St.

Even before he graduated from college in the early 1960s, Charlie Goodrich was the chief engineer at KOIL Radio. He started working nights at the station while he was still in high school, then commuted to Omaha from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, mostly on weekends, said longtime friend Mike O’Hanlon.  The job had some perks — Goodrich was assigned to chauffeur the Beach Boys when they played a concert in Omaha.

Goodrich’s commitment to KOIL launched his lifelong work ethic. He went on to establish a career as a designer, builder and maintenance engineer for radio transmitters and other equipment. “He loved to work, loved his radio pals,” said Cheryl Goodrich, Charlie’s wife of four years. “He was super-passionate about it. I’ve never seen a guy who loved to work like he did.” She said that was true even through the pain and distress he suffered in the final days of his life.

Charles E. Goodrich was born on Nov. 8, 1941, in Washington, Missouri. He moved with his family to Omaha during high school and graduated from Westside High. After earning an electrical engineering degree at UNL, he married his first wife, the former Donna Talty, and worked at Lockheed Missiles in California for a short time. But he missed Omaha — and radios. He had been fascinated with broadcasting ever since he built his own ham radio when he was 11 years old and connected with riverboat captains coming up the Mississippi.

After California, Goodrich joined McMartin Industries in Nebraska, a local radio equipment company. He worked there for about 20 years. When McMartin closed in the 1980s, Goodrich purchased remnants of the business, created his own company and continued to service transmitters and build equipment for stations in the United States and South America. “He was a genius with a healthy dose of common sense,” O’Hanlon said.

After Donna died of cancer in 2007, Goodrich met Cheryl through O’Hanlon and his wife. They hit it off immediately “Our first date was at La Casa and I knew he was my kind of guy,” said Cheryl, who had grown up in South Omaha and loved the Italian food restaurant on Leavenworth Street. “He was so kind and had such a big heart.”

As hobbies, Goodrich loved to build cars from spare parts and reupholster dental chairs. Goodrich had kidney cancer in 2005. Doctors thought it was gone after they removed a kidney, but, right before he married Cheryl, they found that it had been slowly metastasizing.

“He was an amazing man,” said O’Hanlon, a homebuilder who sold his first house to Goodrich, launching a long friendship. “I really miss him. He was my best buddy for 50 years.”


08/19/18 11:50 AM #3    

Waneta Sue Downing (Trowbridge)

I didn't know him well, but enjoyed learning more about his life. Thank you to Nancy Hester Nicholson for finding the World Herald article. She is such a detective! Thanks for posting, John. He certainly had an impressive career! My sympathy goes out to his friends and family.


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