09/08/2026
James Harvey Goodwin III, known to everyone simply as Jim, passed away at his home in Manistee, Michigan, on August 27, 2026, at the age of 82.
Jim was born on January 11, 1944, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and grew up in Saugus, Massachusetts. It was there, through church and as a young boy, that he met the love of his life, Nancy Lee Morse. Their story was one of those rare love stories that seems almost impossible to believe—except that it was theirs.
Jim and Nancy were married on June 12, 1967, but their marriage had actually begun nearly a year earlier. On August 10, 1966, the two young lovers eloped and didn't tell anyone. The following year, they got married again, this time so their family and friends could be part of it. That secret beginning became a marriage that lasted nearly 60 years and was at the center of Jim's life.
Jim earned his bachelor's degree from Springfield College and his master's degree in social work from Michigan State University. He dedicated his professional life to helping children and families. He joined Whaley Children's Center, where he eventually became Executive Director. Throughout his career, Jim earned numerous awards and honors for his advocacy for child welfare and his dedication to strengthening the community. He gave his time and energy to countless organizations whose missions centered on helping children, families, and the people around him.
But helping people was never simply Jim's career. It was his calling.
After retiring from his career in Flint, Jim and Nancy moved to Manistee, Michigan, where they opened Goody's Juice and Java. The coffee shop became much more than a place to get a good cup of coffee or a bite to eat. It became a place to gather, meet wonderful people, share stories, and experience the sense of community that Jim and Nancy loved so much about Manistee. They sold the coffee shop in 2011, finally allowing themselves to officially retire.
Jim, however, never really retired from helping others.
He was fueled by volunteering and service. He served on the boards of Casman Charter School, the Manistee Community Foundation, the Manistee Rotary Club, the Ramsdell Opera House, the Pine Ridge Association Board, the Filer Township Development Committee, and the Manistee Congregational Church Board. He volunteered at the local food pantry and the Vogue Theatre and supported many other community causes throughout the years.
Jim believed in showing up. He believed in giving back.
But for his family, Jim's greatest gift was simply being there.
He was the pillar of support—the person you knew you could turn to when you needed him. If his children needed him, he was there. No matter what was happening, no matter how difficult the circumstances, Jim had a way of being the calm during the storm.
He also understood that loving his children meant knowing them as individuals.
He made a point of spending time separately with his son and daughter, entering their worlds rather than expecting them to enter his. While his children were in high school, you might find Jim at a hockey game, or any other sporting event with Brandon. With his daughter, Ann, he could just as easily be found at a figure skating event, a jazz concert, or wandering through town looking at old houses.
He didn't simply love his children.
He loved who they were.
Jim was wise without being preachy, supportive without being overbearing, and selfless almost to a fault. He instinctively put other people before himself. He had an unmatched ability to look at life with optimism, even when life wasn't easy. He could be the calmest person in the room during a crisis and, somehow, the social butterfly at the party.
Anyone who knew Jim knew his smile. It was big, genuine, and impossible to miss. So was his pep in his step. He was almost always whistling or singing, and his positive energy seemed to follow him wherever he went. He had a gift for making people feel welcome and making ordinary moments feel a little more joyful.
Jim's life was measured not by what he accumulated, but by what he gave away: his time, his wisdom, his kindness, his energy, his friendship, and his unwavering belief in the goodness of people.
His greatest legacy will not be found in the awards he received or the many boards on which he served. It will be found in the children he advocated for, the community he helped build, the people who found friendship at his coffee shop, the countless people he helped along the way, and most of all, in the family he loved so fiercely.
Jim is survived by his beloved wife, Nancy; his son, Brandon James Goodwin; his daughter, Ann Marie Fisher; his sisters, Jill Andrea Palmer and Paige Ashley Harding Harris; his grandchildren, Faith Caroline Fisher, Adeline Violet Fisher, David Emrson Leon Rushlow, and Andrew Jerry Alvin Porritt; and his great-granddaughter, Ebony Marie Lynn Porritt. Zayden Andrew Leon Rushlow.
For 82 years, Jim walked through this world with a smile, a song, a helping hand, and a belief that tomorrow could always be better.
He showed his children what it meant to be there for the people you love. He showed his community what it meant to serve without expecting anything in return. And he showed everyone who knew him that kindness, optimism, and a little pep in your step can change the world around you.
A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, September 4, 2026 at 7:30 PM at the Fifth Avenue Beach Beach House. Please bring a chair.
In lieu of flowers, please consider the Whaley Children’s Center in Flint or The Vogue or Ramsdell Theatre’s in Manistee.
Please share a memory at www.oakgrovefh.com. Arrangements by Oak Grove Funeral Home & Cremation Center
