David Ernest Goodenough
8th May 1942 - 27th June 2022
David Goodenough was born in Woolwich, London in 1942. He was married to Lesley Goodenough for 60 years, shortly after their marriage they moved to Luton; they both had 4 children together, and many grandchildren. I am one of those grandkids.

In 2022, at the age of 80 years old, my Grandad made the decision to take his own life. Hearing the news left me speechless; it left me feeling heavy and weighed down by thoughts and questions. I felt physically sick.
My Grandad was the kindest man I knew. He was the first man to ever ask me how I'm feeling, and was a huge reason for me setting up His Mind. It is just a shame I never got to speak to him about it. I planned to develop it before I shared with him what I had created. Unfortunately it just never happened.
I remember my grandad as my biggest supporter. He would watch me play football and always give me constant praise, as well as constructive criticism when needed. He would give me footballers to watch and study, and was always there to tell me off for trying tricks, because I'm "not Brazilian." He was funny, kind, and always there to offer advice.
There was nothing he would not talk about. Although mainly football was his topic of choice, we would speak a lot about politics too. We would discuss the people we dislike and agreed on many. We would talk about what would make the world an easier place to live, amongst many other cool things.
One thing I loved talking to my Grandad about was work. He was always my biggest supporter, and with me being a Youth Worker, he would always praise me for helping young people who often are forgotten or disregarded by society. His support and belief kept me believing in myself.
Alongside my Nan, my Grandad was the head of the family. They were a formidable pair, and together they were the strongest and kindest people I knew. In a life of chaos and a childhood riddled with inconsistency, my grandparents were my constants. Our family, and all that knew my Grandad, lost a hero.
I do not wish to share how or why my Grandad made the decision he made, I would rather use this space to highlight the great man that he was. Although born in Woolwich, he would tell me about his father who was living in Didcot, where I work, before moving up to Woolwich to work with the military. His father worked with the horses, and that is where my Grandad's love for horses started.
I had planned with my Grandad to go back to Woolwich with him, to see where he grew up and explore his home with him. It's a shame I never got to do that with him. He always wanted a shave with a cut throat razor, done at a traditional barbers. I had planned to book him in. Again, I never got the chance to go with him. That makes me sad, and it sticks to me.
My Grandad always had a story to tell, and I would really love to hear him tell me one of those stories one last time.
My biggest supporter. My best friend. My Grandad.

