Janice Kaye Goodwin

Kaye Goodwin; Fearless, Fun, and Funny, is Dead at 78  

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

         --A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh  

Janice Kaye Goodwin passed peacefully in the presence of her family in San Diego, California, on October 22, 2023, at the age of 78. Kaye was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is survived by her loving husband of 58 years, Dan Goodwin, as well as her three sons and their families: Danny Goodwin and Amy Griffin of Albany, NY; John Goodwin of San Diego, CA; and David Goodwin and Jelena Opacic of San Diego, CA. She was a doting grandmother to Ella Goodwin of New Paltz, NY, Anna Goodwin of Saratoga Springs, NY, Gabriel, Isaac, and Oliver Goodwin of San Diego, CA, and Mila Goodwin of San Diego, CA. She was a loving aunt to her nieces and nephews: Sarah DellaRocco, Ann Dow, Catherine Kingsbury, Mamie Parris, and Evan Parris. She and Dan relocated only this year to San Diego, to be closer to their family.

  Kaye was born on September 6, 1945, to Allwyn and Evelyn Parris in Dallas, Texas. She is preceded in death by her parents and by her sister, Jane; brother, James; and nephew Aaron Parris. Kaye was raised by her loving grandparents, Jester and Ethel O’Daniel in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, where she met Dan at the age of 14 at a Halloween carnival in Junior High School. On Kaye’s 15 th birthday, Dan gave her his high school Senior ring to signify that they were officially “going steady.” They were married in 1965, when Kaye was just 19.

  All who knew or even only encountered Kaye basked in the powerful glow of her positive energy, which was broadcast, first and foremost, by her beautiful and persistent smile.  She took particular delight in children and, after raising three rambunctious boys into adulthood, took to babysitting for many years, continuing to give and serve, which always brought her much more joy than receiving or being served. She was particularly concerned with children who were at risk and was fearless in defending the defenseless.

Kaye was, for many years, the first point of contact at the famed Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas (where “aerobics” was ostensibly invented). She was beloved by both staff and patrons alike. Kaye thrived on mindful presence, regular (rigorous) exercise, and a healthy diet, long before such a lifestyle was considered mainstream.  

But she could also be quiet and still with the same ferocity with which she could be active. She enjoyed basking in the sun every day, all year ‘round. She loved music and could lose herself in reverie (and, as often as not, tears) listening to her favorite artists, which included those as diverse as Tony Bennett,  Sly and the Family Stone, Jim Croce, Grand Funk Railroad, Willie Nelson, John Denver, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Van Morrison, Bill Withers, Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Michael Parks, The Isley Brothers, and countless others.

  In 2011, Kaye was diagnosed with, underwent treatment for, and ultimately vanquished breast cancer. The blow to her body, however, would prove to be lasting. In the years that followed, she and Dan found solace in each other’s arms as she struggled to bounce back. Still, she relished family time and was always up for (and would dominate) a competitive game of Catch Phrase.

  Kaye strongly believed in the fact (and law of physics) that energy may neither be created nor destroyed, but only transferred or transformed from one form to another. And so, although she may have dispensed with her broken body, she lives on in each of us whose lives she has forever transformed with her generous, expansive spirit. 

  The family requests that donations be made in Kaye’s honor to Unbound in lieu of flowers. There will be a private celebration of Kaye’s life in December.

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