Olin Gooden, 85

WOODSIDE - Olin Gooden of Woodside died Monday, July 9, 2007, in his home. He was 85.

Olin was born Feb. 13, 1922, in Woodside, son of the late Wilbur and Ethel (Chilcutt) Gooden.

He was a graduate of Caesar Rodney High School, class of 1942, where he was captain of the football team.

Olin married Luella Beatrice George of Rising Sun on Jan. 11, 1944, and enjoyed 49 years of marriage until her death on Dec. 14, 1992.

He owned and operated family farms in Woodside and remained active until his death.

Olin will always be remembered for his quick wit and joking humor, as well as his joy passing out new quarters to family and friends. He loved spending time with his family and visiting his fellow farmers and friends.

He was a member and past officer of the Delaware Farm Bureau, where he received the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award in 2000. He was most presently a member of the VCF Ruritan Club of Viola, where he recently received his 50-year plaque. He was also a member of the National Soybean Association, a member of the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association, and co-founder of the Caesar Rodney Ruritan Club and the Fruitland Grange. He was district governor of Ruritan Delmarva New Jersey District, and served four years on the Kent County Building Code Committee. He was president of the Delaware Crop Improvement Association. He also was a member of the Council of Farm Organizations for four years and a member of the Kent County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Beatrice Gooden; three brothers, William Gooden, Reynolds Gooden and Lester Gooden; a sister, Elizabeth Martin; and his brother-in-law, Roland Abbott.

He is survived by a son, Kenneth Gooden of Woodside; a daughter, Mary B. Gooden of Woodside; his sister-in-law, Mariene Abbott; his grandchildren, Lauri Jopp and her husband Kevin of North Carolina, John Gooden and his wife Stephanie of Woodside, James Gooden and his girlfriend Angie Tigner of Woodside, Karen Sherwood of Maryland, and David Sherwood and Douglas O. Sherwood, both of Woodside; his great-grandchildren, Kody Jopp and Robby Jopp, both of North Carolina; and several nieces and nephews and a lifetime of friends.

Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Pippin Funeral Home, 119 W. Camden-Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Camden.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Olin and Beatrice Gooden Scholarship Fund, c/o Delaware Farm Bureau, 3457 S. DuPont Highway, Camden, DE 19934.

Letters of condolences may be sent via www.pippinfuneralhome.com.