John Good

John Good

Dec. 30, 1933 – Jan. 11, 2022

John Good, 88, passed peacefully at the Billings Clinic Hospital on Jan. 11, 2022. A private graveside service will be held Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Donald J. Ruhl Memorial Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be held in the spring.

John was born Dec. 30, 1933, in Shell, the son of Arnold Ira and Vera Rhea Good. His education began in a small school on Lower Beaver Creek, then in the small two-room school in Shell. He graduated from the eighth grade, attended Greybull High School and graduated with the Class of 1952. He continued his education at Northwest Community College in Powell.

He married Marlys Harvey on Feb 14, 1956. His plans of returning to college were interrupted when he discovered his name was at the top of the draft list. He chose to enlist in the Air Force. After basic training he received training in radar maintenance and repair in Denver. He spent two years overseas, alternating months between the air base in London and the one in Libya. It was in Libya that John went swimming for the first (and only) time when he discovered the salt water held him up and he could float with ease.

He received his honorable discharge in 1960. John was told of a vacancy in the engineering office of the Wyoming Highway Department in Basin. He applied, was interviewed and thus began his 34-year career. He took courses through the International Correspondence School and received his Land Surveyors certificate. He was the engineer in charge of multiple construction jobs in Big Horn County and beyond.  He and his friend, the late Bill Dickinson, did many, many private surveys.

John served multiple terms on the school board. During his tenure he was able to present diplomas to his sons Mark and Chris. 

For the past 26 years he has served as the CFO of the family-owned Greybull Building Center, John always said his job as CFO was the best job he ever had.

He coached a Little League team for many years. The games were played on a field filled with rocks and kosha weed. John, along with other fellow coaches, including good friends, the late Jess Black and Jerry Garland, spent hours clearing the field of rocks and weeds, hauling pickup loads of red dirt from the hills east of Shell for the infield, and planting grass so the young ballplayers had a ballfield to be proud of.  He also assisted the late Bruce Kennedy with a fifth-sixth grade boys’ basketball program. At that time there was no basketball before seventh grade. This program focused on the fundamentals of the game. At the end of the course the boys had fun playing "shirts and skins' with no score being kept.

John took up golf later in life and enjoyed playing the Midway Golf Course, as well as playing rounds in Spearfish, Deadwood, Belle Fourche, Custer and several other courses.

He followed his kids in their high school sports, football, basketball, volleyball and track and was their No. 1 fan. When his grandchildren reached middle/high school, he continued to follow their exploits on the field, but was introduced to high school ice hockey, club soccer and cross country. Completely new experiences, but he enjoyed every minute of it.

He joined son Scott and the two became The Voice of The Buffs. Scott announced and John was the statistician and color man, an oxymoron as everyone knew that John was a man of very few words. The two broadcast games at the conference, regional and state levels for many years. In 2009, John was honored by the Wyoming Coaches Association for his outstanding support of student athletes and athletics.

In 1966 John and Marlys built their home on three acres of land on Greybull River Road. John discovered a love and talent for gardening.  He harvested more vegetables than any one family could eat so he gave all the excess to family, friends, neighbors and even strangers!  Of everything he planted, watermelon was his favorite. He also started an orchard that grew to include peaches and pears.

John was known as a generous man who would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need.  He was an avid supporter of HATS (Hands Across the Saddle), and through this organization he was able to meet and become friends with people he had watched on TV; including Katharine Ross, Red Steagall, Gary Morris, Lacy J Dalton, who even called and sang him Happy Birthday on Dec. 30th, as well as his good friends Wilford and Beverly Brimley. John was known for his quietness so when he spoke, people would listen.

John was preceded in death by his two sons, Mark Good and Chris Good, his grandson Rio Good, brother Bob Good, brother and sister-in-law Albert and Wilma Good and his sister-in-law Pat Good.

He is survived by his wife Marlys Good of Greybull, two sons Rick (Samantha) of Casper and Scott of Greybull, daughter Joni (Sean) Walker of Dayton, daughters-in-law Jennifer Jolley Good of Casper and Mary Good of Greybull, brothers Loren (Marjorie) and Gary and sister-in-law Myrna, all of Greybull, four granddaughters, six grandsons and three great-grandsons.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice or to the John Good Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 552, Greybull, WY 82426. One-hundred percent of these donations will go to John's favorite charities.