Ryan Goddard was an all-around nice guy (RIP)
By RICHARD ESPINOZA
The Kansas City Star
Who: Ryan Dale Goddard, 29, of Kansas City.
When and how he died: Aug. 2, of colon cancer.
Handy guy: Sophomores aren’t usually house managers at Northwest Missouri State University’s Alpha Kappa Lambda chapter, but the fraternity gave Ryan Goddard the job right away. It wasn’t just his wide-ranging handyman skills that caught everyone’s notice; it was also his eagerness to put those skills to use whenever anybody needed a hand.
“If there was any type of maintenance or home improvement, he’d probably done it,” his friend Dan Weeks said. “And if he hadn’t, I don’t know if he’d admit it. He’d tell you he had and he’d figure it out.”
Ryan, who rose to become the chapter’s vice president and president, learned to handle tools at his father’s side. Dale Goddard, an ironworker, often brought his son to work and taught him to pull his weight. When Ryan was older, he liked to work in crews separate from his father, where he was just another guy rather than someone’s boy.
“People would come up to me and say, ‘You really got a good kid there,’ ” Dale Goddard said. “They told me what a nice guy he was and what a hard worker he was.”
Ryan, a geospatial specialist at Wilson and Co., rarely sat idle. He always liked to be working on a project — fixing up a moped to sell or restoring a rocking chair for Broadway United Methodist Church. Just about a month ago, he finished building a patio with a cedar swing as a gift to his wife, Ginny Goddard.
“The way he lived his life, even through his illness, was breathtaking to me,” Ginny said.
Offered a hand: Ryan was a charming man who made friends easily. He loved to stop and talk with his neighbors, and he was quick to lend a hand when the older ones were working outside. Even older people who didn’t know Goddard might suddenly find him beside them in a grocery store parking lot, helping them load bags into their cars.
When and how he died: Aug. 2, of colon cancer.
Handy guy: Sophomores aren’t usually house managers at Northwest Missouri State University’s Alpha Kappa Lambda chapter, but the fraternity gave Ryan Goddard the job right away. It wasn’t just his wide-ranging handyman skills that caught everyone’s notice; it was also his eagerness to put those skills to use whenever anybody needed a hand.
“If there was any type of maintenance or home improvement, he’d probably done it,” his friend Dan Weeks said. “And if he hadn’t, I don’t know if he’d admit it. He’d tell you he had and he’d figure it out.”
Ryan, who rose to become the chapter’s vice president and president, learned to handle tools at his father’s side. Dale Goddard, an ironworker, often brought his son to work and taught him to pull his weight. When Ryan was older, he liked to work in crews separate from his father, where he was just another guy rather than someone’s boy.
“People would come up to me and say, ‘You really got a good kid there,’ ” Dale Goddard said. “They told me what a nice guy he was and what a hard worker he was.”
Ryan, a geospatial specialist at Wilson and Co., rarely sat idle. He always liked to be working on a project — fixing up a moped to sell or restoring a rocking chair for Broadway United Methodist Church. Just about a month ago, he finished building a patio with a cedar swing as a gift to his wife, Ginny Goddard.
“The way he lived his life, even through his illness, was breathtaking to me,” Ginny said.
Offered a hand: Ryan was a charming man who made friends easily. He loved to stop and talk with his neighbors, and he was quick to lend a hand when the older ones were working outside. Even older people who didn’t know Goddard might suddenly find him beside them in a grocery store parking lot, helping them load bags into their cars.
“It was always apparent in the way he carried himself, how he’d go out of his way to help someone,” Dan said.
Ginny was his most constant focus. He made sure she knew how deeply he loved her through the trust he put in her and care he showed. His friends knew they’d found something special in each other, and it was her pain rather than his suffering that he dwelt on when he wrote his private thoughts on his battle.
“It was always about her,” Dan said. “That’s what his life was about even way before they were married.”
Charming man: Cancer didn’t dim Ryan’s charm. He’d show up for chemotherapy with a magnetic personality, happy to chat with other patients.
“He went in that hospital and it was like “Cheers” for him,” his wife said. “Everyone knew him and loved him.”
Kids loved Ryan, too. They would run up and he would play with them. A lot of his friends’ children called him Uncle Ryan and liked to talk to him on the phone.
“He was genuinely interested and amused by the stuff they did and the stuff they said,” Ginny said. Survivors include: His wife, his parents, a grandfather, two sisters, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews.
The last word: Ryan tried to perfect barbecue chicken. Preparing for a competition in the Northland one year, he fed his wife chicken night after night, trying to get the smoky flavor and moist meat just right. At the big competition he and two friends — a team named It’s Sow Good — stayed up all night, smoking the best meat they had ever made. They didn’t win anything.
Ginny was his most constant focus. He made sure she knew how deeply he loved her through the trust he put in her and care he showed. His friends knew they’d found something special in each other, and it was her pain rather than his suffering that he dwelt on when he wrote his private thoughts on his battle.
“It was always about her,” Dan said. “That’s what his life was about even way before they were married.”
Charming man: Cancer didn’t dim Ryan’s charm. He’d show up for chemotherapy with a magnetic personality, happy to chat with other patients.
“He went in that hospital and it was like “Cheers” for him,” his wife said. “Everyone knew him and loved him.”
Kids loved Ryan, too. They would run up and he would play with them. A lot of his friends’ children called him Uncle Ryan and liked to talk to him on the phone.
“He was genuinely interested and amused by the stuff they did and the stuff they said,” Ginny said. Survivors include: His wife, his parents, a grandfather, two sisters, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces and nephews.
The last word: Ryan tried to perfect barbecue chicken. Preparing for a competition in the Northland one year, he fed his wife chicken night after night, trying to get the smoky flavor and moist meat just right. At the big competition he and two friends — a team named It’s Sow Good — stayed up all night, smoking the best meat they had ever made. They didn’t win anything.
If it bothered him, no one could tell.
“He’s the kind of guy who’d never be discouraged because he didn’t win, even though he thought he would have. He just continued on because he was doing something that he enjoyed,” said Burton Taylor, a friend and a member of It’s Sow Good. “That was Ryan. That was his whole life.”