Laura Lee Goodwin

Laura Lee Goodwin, born in Glendale, CA on December 31, 1947, went home to be with the Lord on August 11, 2025, in her hometown of more than 50 years, Visalia, CA. She passed peacefully into the loving arms of her Savior at 77 years old. Laura is survived and missed by the love of her life, Jim Goodwin, her son, Jimmy Goodwin Jr., and her daughters, Gina Goodwin, Laurie dePfyffer, and Amber Garcia, as well as their spouses, Derek Navarrette, Kevin dePfyffer, and Paul Garcia. Her memory lives on in her grandchildren, Alexandria Goodwin, Sophia Navarrette, Lucas Navarrette, Quinten dePfyffer, Jacob dePfyffer, Gabrielle Garcia and Isabella Garcia; and she was blessed to have great-grandchildren, Demetria Aguilar and Martin Aguilar IV. Jim and Laura married on May 8, 1965, and Laura quickly settled into the role of wife and mother. She loved to cook and share her elaborate meals with others. It was not unusual to have 12 or more desserts for family holidays. You simply could not leave her house hungry, and just to be sure, she always sent food home with guests too. This was one of her primary love languages. She also loved games, especially dominoes, and had a fiercely competitive side to her personality, not even letting her young grandchildren win games unless they did it fair and square. Affectionately known as "Namma", She took an active role in the lives of her grandchildren, and she was full of joy when she was buying them gifts or making various holidays special for them. Her selfless love toward her children could be witnessed in the way she spent her time and money. They were her priority. She did not push or hover, even when she disagreed. She was always there, a quiet presence in their lives; a lifeline whenever they needed the comfort of home. Everyone she interacted with knew about her kids and grandkids because she loved to brag about them. But she also forged connections with many people who weren't blood relatives in her life; from cherished neighbors to waitresses at the restaurants she frequented to friends who needed a place to stay; she displayed a level of hospitality that surely made God smile. She always cared about how they were doing, asking after their loved ones and remembering important details about their lives. Dozens have shared stories of her loving acts, and she constantly looked for ways to serve others. An avid horsewoman, much of her mid-life was spent raising and training horses until her body simply wouldn't allow her to anymore. She even used horses as a means of charity work, raising money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital through her non-profit, Double LL TLC Riders, along with her work with women and children at the Visalia Rescue Mission. She also loved her dogs, treating them just like people, and her pack of feral cats that came to her late in life. She rescued many animals over her lifetime from puppies, to cats, to birds. Laura was a special and complicated woman. Any of you who knew her knew that as kind as she was, you'd better look out if you got on her bad side! But if any reading this were ever the recipient of her ire, know that she surely loved you because you cannot have that type of anger toward someone without first having loved them. No one was immune to this side of her, including her beloved and devoted husband of 60 years. She could be so stubborn! Especially as he tried to help her get well. But any who saw Jim and Laura together saw their playful banter and the strength of their love. Their love remains an example to all of us of the beauty that can come from shared dedication and faithfulness. Gift giving was another of her love languages and she loved to shower him with gifts and parties at every opportunity. Most especially, she loved Jesus. She, like all of us, had to wrestle with the important questions of life: Why am I here? Why did I have to experience that pain? Is God real? Does He love me? She never gave up the pursuit of those answers, growing her faith to an unshakeable degree. Even toward the end when she went into the hospital in December, she believed she was meant to share her faith with her roommate. Laura was always planting seeds. She is at rest, finally, free of the pain that plagued her for so long. Her legacy will carry on reminding us to live a life of meaningful acts of service with a little fun and good food along the way. Memorial services will be held 10:00 AM Saturday, August 30th, 2025 at Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel, 127 E. Caldwell Ave., Visalia. Services have been entrusted to Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel. Memorial Tributes and condolences may be offered by logging onto www.salseranddillard.com.

Laura Lee Goodwin

December 31, 1947 - August 11, 2025