Morris Goddard

Morris Goddard age 78 of Nashua, IA died Monday, November 25, 2019, at Waverly Health Center. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2019, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory - Olson Chapel in Nashua with Pastor Charis Combs-Lay officiating. Interment will be held in Sunnyside Memory Gardens, rural Charles City with Chance Goddard, Tyler Hanawalt, Vance Heller, Cassie Hanawalt, Brock Heller, David Moore III, Killian Moore and Elle Goddard serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers are Abraham Goddard, Grant Goddard, Hayes Hanawalt, and Holland Heller. Friends may greet the family at 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 27, 2019, at the funeral home prior to the service. Leon and Josephine (Hamm) Goddard welcomed their son, Morris Allen, into the world on March 7, 1941, at the Floyd County Medical Center in Charles City. He grew up on the family’s farm in the Carville area, and almost from the start, he learned to love cars and carpentry. His family owned the Midway Downs racetrack, and for the rest of his life, he loved stock cars and figure-eight races. He attended Nashua High School and graduated with the Class of 1959. After school, he and his brother Marv worked together as carpenters before eventually Morris took a job at Oliver Tractor, which later became the White Farm Equipment Co., in Charles City before finishing his working career with a 15-year stint at Sara Lee in New Hampton. Morris and his buddy, Denny Burnett, made the best decisions of their lives when they decided to go up to Nora Springs to pick up Shirley at her aunts house, for they both met the loves of their lives on that evening. Morris fell in love with Shirley Rekow. Morris and Shirley were married on Nov. 23, 1963, and they eventually had five children — Randy, Sheila, Shelly, Lori and Shawn — of their own. Denny and Linda, who was Shirley’s best friend in high school, also ended up getting married, and the Burnett and Goddard families practically grew up with each other along with many other of their friends. They all got together and played cards regularly at each other's homes. They also loved to play cards on a regular basis at his mother and father in laws, their friends and siblings homes. The children of Morris and Shirley remember the fun times they had going camping — first in a “station wagon and tent,” then a van pulling a pop-up tent and finally that van pulling a full-size travel trailer. They also had fond memories of their annual two-week vacations to places like the Black Hills and Nashville. After getting married and starting a family, Morris “retired” as a race car driver, but right up until the end of his life, it was always a great day to go watch the stock cars and figure eights race around a track. Morris had a strong work ethic, both at work and at home. He was the kind of guy who could tear apart anything and put it back together and he was a talented carpenter. He also had a great sense of humor; he loved to tell jokes with his kids and his friends. He loved his children, but Morris adored his eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He shared with his grandchildren his of “pontooning” and fishing, and they, too, quickly learned that Grandpa was a jokester who loved to have a good time. When both Morris and Shirley retired, they did some traveling — visiting places like Niagara Falls — but their love of bluegrass and country music made Branson, Missouri, their destination numerous times. Morris’s passing was relatively sudden; he suffered a recent heart attack and wasn’t the same. But he was a fighter, and he made sure that all of his grandchildren could see him before he passed away on Monday. His family will always appreciate the excellent care and compassion he received from the doctors and nurses at Waverly Health Center. All those who knew Morris will miss the man who could fix or build anything and usually do it while cracking a couple of great jokes. Morris is survived by his wife of 56 years, Shirley Goddard of Nashua, IA; children, Randy (Colleen) Goddard of Dexter, IA, Sheila (Rod) Hanawalt of Ionia, IA, Shelly (David) Moore II of Iowa Falls, IA, Lori (Jim) Hansen of Carville, IA, Shawn (Colleen) Goddard of Charles City, IA; eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren; two brothers, Stanley Goddard of Charles City, IA, Benny (Shirley) Goddard of Charles City, IA; sisters-in-law, Phyllis (Kei) Wei of Colombus, OH, Rose (Jeff) Smith of Nashua, IA, Sandra (Jerry) Clausen of Rochester, MN. He was preceded in death by his parents, Leon and Josephine (Hamm) Goddard; brother, Marv (Eleanor) Goddard; father-in-law, Herman Rekow, mother-in-law, Evelyn Rekow; sister-in-laws, Mildred Rekow and Verna Goodard.