Daniel Louis Goodwin

Daniel Louis Goodwin
November 8, 1938 – June 17, 2021
After several months of declining health, Dan passed away after a good afternoon spent with his family.
Dan was the first of his family to be born in California, after they left the family farm in Nebraska during the Dust Bowl. They settled in West Los Angeles and Dad enjoyed the idyllic Southern California lifestyle of the 1940’s and 50’s.
He was Captain of his high school basketball team and cruised around in his ’51 Ford convertible. He was a LA County lifeguard at Malibu Colony. He was a surfer until he injured his back on a wipeout. At the age of 18 he began his long career with the YMCA.
Dan married Ann Francis while in college and although that marriage was not meant to be, two sons and a daughter were the result. We lived in Salinas, Sacramento, and back to Santa Monica to follow his job with the Y.
Dan came from an era where you could stay with one company for your entire career. His many years of hard work and dedication culminated when he was promoted to Executive Director.
The YMCA pretty much defined Dad in those years and it was part of him, and vice versa. Dad was the ethos of the Y. He was especially skilled at mentoring young people and believed in community service.
A Physical Education major, he was an early adopter of jogging in the’60’s, back when it was viewed as a weird thing to do. He ended up running many marathons and finished some of them in less than three hours! He preached exercise and fitness to all but loved chocolate ice cream!
Dan was always curious about those around him, and could start up a conversation with anyone. He also had a deadpan sense of humor and he was the master of “Dad jokes”. Most of them were sure to elicit a groan from us kids!
Dad married Anne Adams in 1977 and they spent 44 very happy years together. They settled in here in El Cajon after moving from Santa Rosa. They enjoyed being part of the original Silverado community and lived there for nearly 28 years. Dan was always happy to be surrounded by his family at his house which we referred to as “Club Dad”.
Dan and Anne travelled frequently during their retirement and were constantly on the go. They were a perfect fit and they made the most of their life together.
Dan was a good man and he was blessed with a good life. We will miss him.