John Monroe Goff, Jr., 80, of Richland, WA, went home to be with his Heavenly Father on Monday, September 4, 2006. John was born on April 14, 1926, at home in Shively Louisville, KY to John Monroe Goff, Sr. and Emma Louisa Knipe Goff.

He was the oldest of six children. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Emma Louise Yates, and his only brother Charles Roderick Goff.

John is survived by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Ann Murphy Goff; his son John Monroe and his wife Marian of Springfield, VA; their son John Monroe V and his wife Yvonne in Alice Springs, Australia; daughter Virginia Kathryn Panther and her husband Stephen; their children John Mark, David James, twins Kathryn Suzanne and Jennifer Lynne, all of West Richland, WA; daughter Susan Jeanne Pogue and her husband William Bill of Richland, WA; daughter Carol Lynn Jaycox and her husband Joseph of Black Hawk, SD; daughter Barbara Ellen Goff of Kennewick, WA; and son James Lawrence Larry Goff and his wife Tammy; their six children, Bradley James, Tara Alynn, Larisa Renee, Justin Lawrence, Matthew Leland and Kayla Nicole, all of Salem, OR. He is also survived by three sisters, Jenny Virginia Kathryn Warner and her husband Jimmy James of Conroe, TX; Frances Alicia Clements and her husband Clemy of Dickenson, TX; Elizabeth Ann Betsy Terry and her husband Robert of Harlingen, TX.

John grew up in the Louisville, KY area, graduating from Brandenburg High School in 1944. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in August 1944. He served as a member of the 232nd Infantry, 42nd Division Rainbow Division, spending most of his time as an antitank gun crewman in Europe. While he was overseas, his family moved to the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. After being honorably discharged in 1946, he joined his family in Texas. John began continuing his education at Edinburg Junior College, where he graduated in 1949. He then married Elizabeth Ann Murphy on May 27, 1949 and the newlyweds moved to Austin where he attended the University of Texas. There he became a father, earned his B.S. in Chemistry, and graduated with honors in June 1951.

Following graduation, John, Elizabeth, and their son John moved to the Tri-Cities where John had accepted a job offer with General Electric at Hanford. The greater part of his subsequent working career was spent at the N Reactor working for the various contractors operating at Hanford over the years. He retired from United Nuclear Corporation in 1987 as a Senior Engineer with the Safety Enhancement Program.

From 1951-1962, five more children were added to the family. John loved his children and always took an active part in his role as a father and later as a grandfather. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, and especially loved camping trips with the family. Some of his favorite hobbies and endeavors were stamp collecting, photography, videography, flower and vegetable gardening, and reading.

In the fall of 1965, John accepted Christ as his Savior and later joined First Baptist church where he ministered and served in various capacities over the years.

Dad, our family will deeply miss your presence and participation in the events of our lives and family gatherings. While we know you are present with the Lord in a far better place, your absence here leaves us with a void that can never be replaced in our lives. Our memories across the years and thoughts of you are filled with love, gratitude, and appreciation for your dedication and faithfulness to Christ our Lord, and for your leadership and example to us as a devoted Christian, husband, father, and grandfather. As for now, we will continue to persevere in this life looking forward in faith and hope to a future glorious reunion when we will meet again and all be together with the Lord forever. Psalm 116:15; II Corinthians 5:6-8; I Thessalonians 4:13-18.

We wish to express our appreciation to the doctors and staff at Kadlec Medical Center for the compassionate care you provided during Dad's final days. Special thanks to Dr. Blanchard and the other doctors and nurses in the Intermediate Care Unit for helping us through the difficult moments of his last hours.

A Graveside Service with full military honors will be held at 1:00 pm Sunday, September 10, 2006 at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Richland, followed by be a memorial service at 2:00 PM at First Baptist Church, 1107 Wright Avenue, Richland, WA. Viewing will be prior to the graveside, from 11:00 am -12:30 pm, at Einan's Funeral Home in Richland, WA.

Donations can be made to Liberty Christian School, 2200 Williams Blvd., Richland, WA 99354; Gideons International P.O. 195, Richland, WA 99352, or Answers in Genesis, P.O. Box 510, Hebron, KY 41048-0510.