Jerry Don Goin, Sr.

Jerry Don Goin, Sr., known to family and friends as Don, was born on October 29, 1938, in Greenville, Texas, and raised in Wolfe City. He grew up in Dallas and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School before attending Eastfield College and Southern Methodist University. A man of quiet strength and deep commitment, Don lived a life defined by service to his country, his community, and the many organizations he supported with unwavering dedication.

He served honorably in the United States Army and continued that commitment for twelve years in the Army Reserve, assigned to G-2 Intelligence at the Pentagon. After his military service, Don built a distinguished career with the United States Government, retiring in 1991 as a member of the Senior Executive Service for the USPS. His work took him to regional management roles in Dallas, Memphis, and Washington, D.C., where he played a key role in the research and development of the original Automated Letter Sorting Machines and the Bar Code Delivery System that transformed mail processing. He was also part of the senior leadership team that launched and refined the Bulk Mail Center concept.

A lifelong person of faith, Don was a devoted member of Germantown Baptist Church, where he served on numerous committees and participated actively in its ministries. He gave generously of his time to many charitable causes, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the American Heart Association, the Salvation Army, Juvenile Intervention and Faith-Based Follow-Up (JIFF), and Brinkley Heights Urban Academy.

Don’s competitive spirit and love for sport were evident in his lifelong passion for golf and powerboat racing. An accomplished golfer, he won numerous club, city, and regional championships and recorded ten witnessed holes-in-one. He served more than twenty years as an officer and president of the Memphis Golf Association and more than twenty years as a director of the Tennessee Golf Association, including sixteen years as vice president. Nationally, he contributed to the United States Golf Association as a rules official, starter, and member of championship and amateur public links committees, while volunteering for 45 years at the St. Jude Classic. In powerboat racing, he served as an officer in the National Outboard Association and the American Power Boat Association and was president of the North Texas Boat Racing Association. As a skilled competitor, he raced in multiple classes and ended his career as a professional in open-class marathon events.

Don is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Shirley; his son, Jerry Goin (Jeannie); his grandchildren, Alix Kirk (Jacob) and Anderson Goin (Stephanie); his great-grandchildren, Henry, Harrison, and Charlotte Kirk; his brother, Tommy Fleming; and his sister, Nancy Roberts.