1950 – 2014

RUMFORD — William Thomas Goodwin, 64, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 1, surrounded by his loving family after battling a long illness.

Bill was born in Rumford on Sept. 26, 1950, the youngest of four children to Margaret and Patrick Joseph Goodwin. He graduated from Stephens High School in 1968, entered the U.S. Army in 1969 and was honorably discharged in 1971.

Being an avid skier and true Mainer, he gravitated to the Sugarloaf area. It was there he began a life of small-town living. Having been a painter since his teens, he started his own business at the time when Sugarloaf was beginning the first of its condominium developments.

Leaving dear friends behind in the early ’90s, Bill returned to Rumford, thinking it a temporary stop before moving on. He realized that his mother, then a widow, needed assistance. He remained there, caring for her and continuing his painting career, until their move to New Hampshire in 2004.

Bill was a kind, gentle man and loved by all who knew him. He was a master painter at both interior and exterior and had a special talent with wood finishing. His career in painting extended over nearly 40 years in both Maine and New Hampshire, retiring at the end of 2009.

He is survived by his longtime love, Sue Burgum, and her children, Travis and Erica Glazier; sister, Mary Ellen Van De Moere, of Spotswood, N.J.; brother, Peter Goodwin and wife, Jo, of Bridgewater, N.H.; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents, Margaret and P. Joseph Goodwin; sister, Ann Pascale, of Bronxville, N.Y.; and brother-in-law, Barry Van De Moere, of Spotswood, N.Y.

A special thank-you goes out to Dr. Alan Fine and Susie Cieri, program coordinator of the VA Boston Healthcare System.