Garry Goff

We celebrate the life of Garry Bond Goff, who journeyed to be with our Lord On Tuesday, December 6, 2016. Garry entered this world in Kennett Missouri on September 7, 1947, the son of Bond Cleveland Goff and Mary Ailene Anderson. Visitation will be held from 5-7 pm on Monday, December 12, 2016 at Starks and Menchinger Chapel and Cremation Services, 2650 Niles Rd. in St. Joseph.  Service will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 also at the funeral home with Pastor James K. Whitman officiating. Burial will follow at North Shore Memory Gardens, Coloma.  In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be offered to Wounded Warrior Project. Those wishing to sign Garry’s memory book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. He was a man with simple beliefs, and held a view that was usually black and white in a gray world. Truth, love, honor, trust: these were not negotiable items in his world and were not relative, but were absolute.   He was fiercely loyal and protective of his family, and cherished his relationships with his family as the most precious commodity in his life. He served his country with honor and distinction as a radio operator in an infantry division in Vietnam, serving from 1967 to 1969. Garry was a hard worker, working as a Mason Tender for most of his career as a proud Union member of Local 355. His efforts are found in many of the large construction sites that took place in the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area.  His retirement found him puttering around town on his motorcycle, camping up north, and visiting friends at the local coffee shops. Surviving him are his mother, Mary Goff of Benton Harbor; daughter, Desiree (Jeff Weller) Goff and his grandchildren, Kovy and Shelby, of Kalamazoo; sister Sandy (Theodore) Cornell , of Tucson, AZ; sister Cindy (Greg) Massey, of Coloma; niece Ashley Sousa, of Bridgman; his very special niece, Paige Massey (fishing buddy, dog walking partner, cell phone app interpreter) of Coloma MI; and his Pomeranian, Isabella. Garry’s life legacies are his daughter and grandchildren. When Desiree would visit with the kids, they would stir joy in his soul, light up his face and make his eyes sparkle with laughter!