In the early morning hours of October 8th, Bob Goodman peacefully passed away at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin with his loving wife, Bobbie, by his side.

Born on September 17, 1930 in Portage, Wisconsin, Bob was the middle child to Maurice Goodman II and Emma (née Lynch) Goodman. His older brother Maurice III was born in 1928 and his younger sister Sally was born in 1932.

Bob was a numbers guy but his heritage as one of the founding families of Portage involved words and publishing. His great great grandfather, Phineas Nunes Cardozo was a rabbi who wrote a 328-page hand-written book that Bob discovered in his familial research. Bob's great grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Goodell, started the first daily newspaper in Portage, which became the Portage Daily Register. Bob's great grandmother Sarah Cardozo Goodman learned to type at 75 and wrote articles for the Daily Register about life in early Portage. Bob's grandfather, Maurice Goodman I was editor for the Daily Register. He was also a printer and published many of Zona Gale's books. His grandmother, Mary "Mae" Goodman, was a proofreader for the Register and wrote a daily column.

Bob's brother, Maurice Goodman III who passed away in July 2023, was also a writer. He started writing short stories that he submitted to magazines, and ended up in Hollywood writing screenplays and was nominated for an Emmy Award. His sister, Sally Kirtland who passed away in 2006, wrote crossword puzzles for the New York Times and edited the American Airlines magazine "Holiday on Wings".

Another notable figure in Bob's family was his grandfather on his mother's side, Judge Andrew Lynch, who was on Arizona's Constitutional Convention and the First State Legislature in 1912.

Growing up on Canal St. (now East Edgewater St.) during the Great Depression, Bob called the canal their playground. He was a proud Portage High School graduate of the class of 1948. He played the piccolo and flute in the high school orchestra and marching band. His claim to fame was the piccolo solo in "Stars and Stripes Forever". Bob was also on the boxing team in high school and lost only one fight.

They say if you want to see the world, join the Navy. Bob served in the United States Navy from 1951-1955. During the Korean conflict he was enrolled at University of Wisconsin, Madison and was about to be drafted. He wanted to handpick his branch of service so he went with friends to Milwaukee to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He sailed on the USS Saipan, an aircraft carrier, and the USS Worcester CL-144. His ports included: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Port au Prince, Haiti; Trinidad; Kingston, Jamaica; the Virgin Islands; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (13 times); Casablanca, Morocco; Barcelona, Spain; Naples, Italy; Cannes, France; Lisbon, Portugal; London and Torquay, England; Dublin, Ireland; and Greenland. Because of Bob's love of big band music, his Navy buddies called him "Benny" after Benny Goodman.

After completing his Naval service in 1955, Bob returned to UW Madison on the GI Bill. He worked several part time jobs and found he was a talented accountant. In 1966, he passed the CPA exam and began working for Miller, Hoppe, and Brussel. In 1969, he opened his own accounting firm, Robert A Goodman, CPA. In September 1985, Jeffrey A. Davis joined the practice and it became Goodman & Davis, CPA's. Bob retired from practice in 1994.

Bob served in many organizations throughout his life. As a young man he was a member of the Order of Demolay (Masons), Boy Scouts of America, The Junior Red Cross, and The Wisconsin Federation of Young Republicans where he was a delegate in 1950. As an adult, he became a member of the Portage Canal Society, Inc., Pardeeville American Legion 215, Portage VFW, Board of Trustees for Portage Area Community Theatre (PACT), Secretary-Treasurer of the Portage Country Club, and the Portage Chapter of the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks (BPOE). After his brother's death in 2023, Bob became the oldest living member of the Portage Elks Club. His great grandfather and grandfather were charter members, and his father gifted him and his brother with lifetime membership in the Elks Club. Bob was Exalted Ruler in 1967 and was their Treasurer and Accountant for many years. He was also the Treasurer for the Portage Center of the Arts (formerly The Zona Gale Center), Friends of the Library, and the Class of '48.

Throughout Bob's life, he was an athlete. In high school he enjoyed boxing and track, and as an adult he enjoyed recreational running, racquetball, tennis, bowling and his true passion, golf. He didn't start playing golf seriously until 1960 and played until he was 89 years old. In 2018, he got his fifth hole-in-one. Along with sports, Bob enjoyed playing cards, especially his Tuesday night euchre group at the Elks. A true numbers guy, he also played bridge, poker and gin to name a few.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years, Barbara (née Wetzel Herrick) Goodman; his children, Paul (Janet) Goodman of Pardeeville, WI; Julie Webster, her daughter (Bob's granddaughter) Olivia Webster, and her daughter (Bob's great granddaughter) Opal Davis, all of Baraboo, WI; granddaughters Nicolle (Scott) Stoltenburg and Jacque Goodman; David (Sharon) Wilson, his son (Bob's grandson) Casey (Kelly), and their children Samuel and Katie, all of Belavista, AR; Bobbie's children, Timothy (Shanna) Herrick of Pardeeville/Solon Springs, WI, their daughter Taylor (Trey Irons) Herrick, and their daughter Clover of South Range, WI; Heather (Kyle) Robbins, their sons Samuel and Joseph (Gabrielle) Robbins, all of Fall River, WI; and Rebecca Herrick of West Hollywood, CA; his sister-in-law Yvonne Goodman, and her daughters Danielle and Leslie Goodman, all of Granada Hills, CA; his nephew James Kirtland and his daughter Karly, both of Bestal, NY; and his grandnephew Maximillian McLaughlin.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, brother, sister, mother of his children Ann (née Smith) Goodman, step-sons John and Phil, niece Jennie McLaughlin, and grandson Corwin Herrick, who coined his nickname "Bobbo".

Bob and Bobbie were married on November 28, 1981 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Portage followed by a reception at the Portage Elks Club. In honor of their 43rd wedding anniversary, Bobbo's Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at the Elks Club at 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Private family burial will take place at the Silver Lake Cemetery in Portage, WI. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made in Bob's name to the Portage Center for the Arts or the Portage Elks Club.

Portage Center for the Arts
301 E. Cook St., Portage WI 53901

Portage Elks Club
201 W. Conant St, Portage AL 53901