Obituary for Beverly Gooden
Funeral services for Beverly Gooden, 81, will be held Friday, November 17 at 10 a.m. at the Joe E. Jones Chapel at Childress Cemetery with Lou Ellerbrook officiating. Burial will follow under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home.
Beverly Jo Fouch Gooden, born October 17th, 1942, was reunited with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, November 11, 2023, with her husband of 57 years and her daughter by her side.
Beverly was born in Childress, Texas, to Delphia Rothwell and Kingsley Lafayette Fouch (“Shorty”). She spent her formidable years in Midland where she made life-long loyal friends. After college at Texas Tech University where she pledged Kappa Alpha Theta and one of her best summers ever spent at the University of Colorado studying golf, Beverly married her husband, Mike and moved to Houston. In Houston, she embarked on a teaching career where she taught high school students grammar and literature and ultimately instilled her command of the English language in her daughter, Kate. No one could write a more lovely thank you note than Beverly.
Beverly married a golfer and Mike brought Beverly along on his golf adventures. She wasn’t a fan at first, but over the years became knowledgeable about the players and would even spend Sundays watching the final round of major tournaments with Mike. She once even approached Arnold Palmer for an autograph.
Beverly’s West Texas rearing truly defined her. She was brilliant, generous, stubborn, and loyal with the most impeccable manners. When Mike and Beverly moved to Atlanta for 10 years, she fit right in with the southern decorum. Beverly was also a published author having written, “West Texas Girls,” where she efficiently and evocatively captured the West Texas era she knew through pictures and the truisms and mottos she lived her life by. Her book was proudly sold at the Texas State Capital.
A lover of fashion, her perfectly coifed blond hair was the perfect accent to her mostly monochrome wardrobe. She loved art and museums (she used to pump Kate on her bike to Houston museums at age 2), hot tea, Bible Study, West Texas sunsets, caring for others, long fashionable skirts, reading books, Texas history, Caesar salads, Chanel shoes, and everything French. She was fiercely loyal to the women in her life, and when she had opinions on a topic, she often shared them.
Four years older than her beloved sister, Beverly enjoyed being an only child with her dear mother whom she adored before Judy arrived. At first, Beverly wasn’t so sure Judy should stay, and they were vastly different girls both holding a piece of their mother’s heart. Beverly was the book worm, and Judy was the adventurous athlete. They eventually became inseparable best friends, and Beverly loved Judy more than life itself.
Beverly’s proudest accomplishment was her daughter Kate, who embodies many of her best traits. She took an active role in the lives of her granddaughters, Kingsley and Evelyn, attending soccer games and giving lessons on what it meant to be a strong, but polite woman. She was known to send 4 or 5 birthday cards every year and to also send gifts for no reason at all. She worked hard at showing love in any way she could, and basically moved to Austin the first month of the twin’s birth to help Kate survive being a new mom. Her girls (Judy, Kate, Kingsley, and Evelyn) were her everything.
Beverly is survived by her husband, Mike Gooden; her sister and best friend, Judy Fouch Mulroy and her husband, Robert Mulroy; and her daughter, Kate Ford and her husband, Ryan Ford and their twin daughters, Kingsley and Evelyn Ford.
Beverly Jo Fouch Gooden, born October 17th, 1942, was reunited with her Lord and Savior on Saturday, November 11, 2023, with her husband of 57 years and her daughter by her side.
Beverly was born in Childress, Texas, to Delphia Rothwell and Kingsley Lafayette Fouch (“Shorty”). She spent her formidable years in Midland where she made life-long loyal friends. After college at Texas Tech University where she pledged Kappa Alpha Theta and one of her best summers ever spent at the University of Colorado studying golf, Beverly married her husband, Mike and moved to Houston. In Houston, she embarked on a teaching career where she taught high school students grammar and literature and ultimately instilled her command of the English language in her daughter, Kate. No one could write a more lovely thank you note than Beverly.
Beverly married a golfer and Mike brought Beverly along on his golf adventures. She wasn’t a fan at first, but over the years became knowledgeable about the players and would even spend Sundays watching the final round of major tournaments with Mike. She once even approached Arnold Palmer for an autograph.
Beverly’s West Texas rearing truly defined her. She was brilliant, generous, stubborn, and loyal with the most impeccable manners. When Mike and Beverly moved to Atlanta for 10 years, she fit right in with the southern decorum. Beverly was also a published author having written, “West Texas Girls,” where she efficiently and evocatively captured the West Texas era she knew through pictures and the truisms and mottos she lived her life by. Her book was proudly sold at the Texas State Capital.
A lover of fashion, her perfectly coifed blond hair was the perfect accent to her mostly monochrome wardrobe. She loved art and museums (she used to pump Kate on her bike to Houston museums at age 2), hot tea, Bible Study, West Texas sunsets, caring for others, long fashionable skirts, reading books, Texas history, Caesar salads, Chanel shoes, and everything French. She was fiercely loyal to the women in her life, and when she had opinions on a topic, she often shared them.
Four years older than her beloved sister, Beverly enjoyed being an only child with her dear mother whom she adored before Judy arrived. At first, Beverly wasn’t so sure Judy should stay, and they were vastly different girls both holding a piece of their mother’s heart. Beverly was the book worm, and Judy was the adventurous athlete. They eventually became inseparable best friends, and Beverly loved Judy more than life itself.
Beverly’s proudest accomplishment was her daughter Kate, who embodies many of her best traits. She took an active role in the lives of her granddaughters, Kingsley and Evelyn, attending soccer games and giving lessons on what it meant to be a strong, but polite woman. She was known to send 4 or 5 birthday cards every year and to also send gifts for no reason at all. She worked hard at showing love in any way she could, and basically moved to Austin the first month of the twin’s birth to help Kate survive being a new mom. Her girls (Judy, Kate, Kingsley, and Evelyn) were her everything.
Beverly is survived by her husband, Mike Gooden; her sister and best friend, Judy Fouch Mulroy and her husband, Robert Mulroy; and her daughter, Kate Ford and her husband, Ryan Ford and their twin daughters, Kingsley and Evelyn Ford.