F. Glenn Goff

Mr. Goff, age 66 of West Branch, passed away June 12, 2004 at his home. Visitation at the Steuernol & McLaren Funeral Home in West Branch will begin Tuesday, June 15, 2004 from 1-9 PM. The Funeral Service will be at 1:00 P.M. Wednesday at the funeral home. Elder Gregory Goff will officiate. Glenn was born October 26, 1937 on the family farm just east of West Branch, the first of six children born to Fred and Matilda (Norton) Goff. He attended Miller School and graduated from West Branch High School in 1956. He then attended Central Michigan majoring in Biology and graduating with highest honors (Valedictorian) in 1962. In 1966, he completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wisconsin, and taught at CMU before accepting a faculty position in the Forestry Department at the University of Missouri. In 1970 Dr. Goff accepted a position as research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. While there he served as a summer consultant to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Office at the University of Idaho and completed a second Masters degree in adult education from the University of Tennessee. In 1978 Glenn returned to Michigan and formed Vital Resources Consulting, a private environmental services firm. He sold his company to Paul B. Lapham and Associates in 1995 and has headed that firm’s environmental services division since that time. Glenn married his high school sweetheart Anna Mae White having met her during youth activities at the RLDS church in West Branch. They were wed at the church on July 27, 1956. Glenn remained active in the church (now named Community of Christ) serving as pastor and district president. One of Glenn’s primary joys in life was ministry. Since being ordained in 1955 Glenn has served as a teacher, priest, elder, high priest and evangelist in the Community of Christ. He has directed many youth camps and was the founding director of Youth Adventures, Inc. an organization formed to shape young people’s lives through outdoor activities and education. This interest prompted Glenn’s move back to Michigan in 1978. The themes of his life’s service have been youth, education, the environment, community development, and church service. He was a member of countless community and church based boards, planning commissions, clubs, and professional organizations and the recipient of numerous awards and honors in these areas. His most recent involvement has been in the area of dispute resolution and mediation. His work and service in church and community (which he viewed as inseparable) will be greatly missed. In the evangelist blessing he received at a young age Glenn was counseled to “spend his life in the cause of Zion” (best defined as “the infinite panorama into which our most creative energies can be channeled”). This is a counsel Glenn most certainly took to heart. Glenn is survived by his wife, Anna Mae Goff of West Branch; daughters Pam (Rick) Aldrich of Phoenix, Arizona, Laura (Tom) Koerber of Rose City, Diane Boehm of Warren, Mindy (Allen) Jeffries and Sarah (Scott) Bell of West Branch; son Stephen (Elizabeth) Goff of Midland; brothers Dennis (Nancy) Goff of Lake City, and Gregory (Sue) Goff of Blue Springs, Missouri; sisters Connie (Bob) Belmore or Independence, Missouri, and Jayne (Gary) Clarkston of Olathe, Kansas; fourteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents Fred and Matilda Goff, sisters Gloria Goff and Linda Mueller, and son-in-law Doug Boehm. His family was a source of great joy for Glenn. He loved playing guitar and singing, visiting and sharing with family, friends, and strangers (with Glenn there were none), reading and writing. Tax-deductible contributions may be made to Outreach International, an international human development organization based in Independence, Missouri. Send contributions c/o Community of Christ, 443 E. Houghton Ave., West Branch, MI 48661.