Vera Goodwin

Vera Goodwin, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend to all, passed away on April 18, 2024, at her home in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She will be greatly missed by all those who were lucky enough to know her.

Vera Coates Goodwin was born on January 24, 1943, to Rex and Aleta Coates in Provo, Utah. She spent her childhood in Pleasant Grove, Utah with her two sisters Doris and Donna. Vera was the middle child and she often talked about how much fun that they would have together. Vera attended Pleasant Grove High School where she met Bruce Goodwin. She married her high school sweetheart on July 12, 1963. Vera always spoke about first meeting Bruce and how handsome he was, she always said that he looked so much like Elvis Presley. She knew early on that she wanted to spend her life with him, they spent the next 60 wonderful years together. They enjoyed camping, hunting and fishing with their boys, later on as the boys started their own families the traditions they started continued on. They enjoyed spending time with their family and went on many vacations with the boys and their families. Many Disneyland vacations were spent together and grandma was always down for anything. She went on rollercoasters with her grandkids and never backed down from anything that we deemed too scary for her. A few years ago, they went on a trip down to Reno with Steve and every quilt shop that they had passed they would stop and get pictures and send to her sister Donna. The very next year both boys and their families went down to Reno together and had a great time.

Vera worked as a school lunch lady with the Alpine School District for 20 years. She loved cooking and looked forward to work every day. She enjoyed seeing all of the children all through the year. More importantly, she made lifelong friendships with the ladies that she worked with and they remained tight up until the very end. She enjoyed catching up with them throughout each year and sharing what her family was up to with them.

Vera loved to stay busy, she would be out working in her yard for endless hours of the summer. When it was cold outside, she enjoyed quilting, crocheting and working on projects. Often times this would include Bruce’s assistance as most of the time he was happy to do whatever she needed. Vera had a love for her yard and she would be out there pulling weeds or mowing the grass or planting flowers. Many summers were spent pouring cement to create a beautiful wagon wheel in her back yard. She planted flowers and plants in the spaces and it turned out so beautiful. She was always on the lookout for unique items that would turn her yard into a masterpiece of beauty. Her neighbors knew what holiday was approaching based on the decorations that she had put outside. She spent countless hours out there and as recently as September 2023 she was honored by Pleasant Grove City with the yard of the month.

Vera had a love and passion for quilting. She often took classes in Salt Lake and Bruce would drive her up there and stay in the car until she was finished. She enjoyed crocheting and crafting. Vera’s favorite holiday was Valentine’s Day. When the grandchildren were younger, she would drop off their Valentine’s at their house and it turned into a game of trying to catch her as she ran back to the car. As they got a little older, they would hide and try and catch her putting the treats on the porch. It became a game that all of the grandkids looked forward to. She also

loved Christmas, she loved to make beautiful things individualized to each person. She never failed to surprise you each year as she never created anything that wasn’t beautiful and perfect. Everyone loved going over them to see what she had in store for them this year. She always went above and beyond for each one of her family members. Every year becoming more and more creative. Vera enjoyed watching as each person opened their gifts, it was very important to her to see their reaction as they opened each gift. She loved to see the excitement on their faces as she would always find the best presents.

She also loved to sew, we all have countless times we took something over to Grandma Goodwin’s who could fix it up and make it look new again. Each daughter or granddaughter would receive the most beautiful blessing dress often taking her almost the whole 9 months to get every single detail perfect. She would make the most beautiful quilts for the new babies and each person who received one of her quilts knew that they were made with the love that she felt for them. As the girls were baptized, she would again make them the most special dress for the occasion often looking nicer than anything you could buy in a store. She also made numerous quilts and crocheted items that she would put in the Utah State Fair each year. She often placed in the category that she was in. She won many awards for her beautiful works of art.

Our mother was the glue that held our family together, our loss will create a huge hole in all of our hearts.

Vera is proceeded in death by her parents, Rex and Aleta Coates, her sister Doris Lewis, her nephew Travis Allan and a brother-in-law Fred Paskett.

She is survived by her loving husband Bruce Goodwin who took such great care of her especially in these last few months. Her two sons, Steve (Christine), Mike (Nelly), as well as 7 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren, all who will miss her greatly and she will miss them.

A funeral service will be held to celebrate Vera’s life at 11:00 am on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in the Olpin Family Mortuary chapel; 494 South 300 E Pleasant Grove, UT 84062. Prior to the service, family and friends are invited to attend a viewing from 9:30 - 10:45 am at the Olpin Family Mortuary chapel.

The family would like to thank all of the first responders who helped & brought comfort to our family during this difficult time.