A LOVE STORY

 Joseph Knight Goodrich

 July 21, 1930 - February 21, 2022

 &

 Cordelia Jewell (Brooks) Goodrich 

 June 10, 1934 - March 3, 2022

Joseph Goodrich, 91, and Cordelia Goodrich, 87, endearingly “Knight” and “Jewell” to each other, passed away earlier this year on February 21, 2022 and March 3, 2022, within 10 days of each other - a testimony to their connection of heart.  

Joseph Knight was born to Anna Leah (Fossett) Goodrich and Clarence Eugene Goodrich in Porterville, California on July 21, 1930. He grew up with his sisters, Ruthann and Frances, along with his brother, David. On June 10, 1934, Cordelia Jewell was born to Ella Prudie (Gabbert Brooks) Ballard and Thomas Thurman Brooks in Abilene, Texas. She was also loved and cared for by her uncle and aunt, Jim and Loretta Gabbert. Later in life arrived her step-father, Fred Ballard, who became the grandfather to her children, as her biological father had passed when she was a child. She had two brothers, Bobby (Bob) and Thurman (T.O.) 

Knight and Jewell’s paths crossed in the summer of 1952 when they met for the first time in Valdez, Alaska. They were married months later, on November 25th, at the ages of 22 and 18, respectively. From then on, they were constant companions throughout life. This coming November, family will gather to honor what would be their 70th wedding anniversary. 

They had five children: Harold, Jeanette, Suzette, Gerald, and Linette. They remember well when their mother saved their lives in the Great Quake of 1964, the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America and the second largest earthquake ever recorded worldwide. She carried four of them out of the basement of their home in Anchorage and through the garage as the house sank into the ground, breaking her back in the process. A fiercely opinionated woman with an enormous heart, she fought for her family and made sure that the people she loved knew that they mattered to her.

A truck driver of the Teamsters Union by profession, Knight Goodrich drove thousands upon thousands of miles in Alaska without a single accident. They never got tired of adventuring and spending time together on the road. After retiring, they purchased an RV and became snowbirds, driving yearly between Anchorage, Alaska and Yuma, Arizona.

They were passionate about arts and crafts and regularly hosted a sewing group at their garage in Yuma for their tight-knit community of lifelong friends, which served as a hub of creativity, color, and inspiration for the people they cared about most. Jewell took great joy in collecting bright and eccentric fabrics, working on sewing projects, and giving handmade quilts and crafts as gifts. Knight, a wood craftsman, built all of the cupboards to hold their colorful materials. Also a fan of cribbage, he could skunk just about anyone.

Jewell and Knight, or “Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich”, leave behind a great legacy of love, having sewed countless quilts together for their friends and family. They are survived by their son Gerald, their daughters Jeanette, Suzette and Linette, 21 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and Knight’s brother, David. Their dedication to their work, family and community leave for us an example to be remembered. The matriarch and patriarch of the Goodrich clan, they brought everyone together and will be forever held in our hearts.

Please join us Sunday, May 1, 2022 to celebrate their lives.