Memorial site in honor of Terry Goonan

Terry Goonan was an Army veteran, loving husband, proud father, doting grandfather, and a fantastic neighbor known to do anything to help anyone, at any time.

It is with great sorrow and a heavy heart we regrettably announce this New Hampshirite and long-time Weare resident peacefully passed away, surrounded by his loved ones, at his home after a nearly two-year battle against glioblastoma multiform, a rare brain cancer, May 9, 2023.

He was only 63 years old.

Terry leaves behind his wife, 13 brothers and sisters, his two sons and daughter, two daughter-in-laws, and five grandchildren. I am married to his youngest son, Terrence Kevin Goonan, Jr.

In keeping with my father-in-law’s wishes he will be cremated, and his ashes will be scattered by the pond on his property next to his home. His wife and children want to honor him in a way that celebrates his life, while also providing a place of closure and remembrance.

The family want to honor him by establishing a permanent memorial site next to where his ashes will be scattered but we cannot do this without your support.

The memorial site will include the

American-made, personalized metal bench with a built-in plaque with his name dates of his well-lived and loved life. The icing on the cake is that the artist has also included his beloved wife’s name and a built-in manipulatable slot for her additional information when she is reunited with the love of her life.

Updates and photos will be provided as the memorial site progresses.

MORE ABOUT TERRY

Terry served four years in the U.S. Army as a transport operator, a meaningful time in his life and he would often recall the time he awoke in his Alaskan tent next to a bear.

Upon leaving the Army, he acquired a position as a maintenance supervisor at the Hillsboro County Nursing Home from which he retired after a 27-year career. This busy-body refused to become accustomed to retired life, so he quickly landed a job at the Country 3 Corners lumber yard where he had the pleasure of working for last 17 years.

A skilled laborer, carpenter and anything else he put his mind to, lazy was a term that did not exist in his vocabulary nor had room for in his life. He single-handedly built a significant addition to his late mother and father’s hand-built cabin. At the time of his diagnosis and right up to the day he no longer had the strength, he had been working on renovating the kitchen and living room areas.

Additionally, this Granite Stater built a chicken coop and a large barn for his wife which houses her beloved farm animals; two horses (Cowboy and Hawk), two goats (Chip and Dale), a mini (Zippy) and a donkey (Pickles).

Terry had the uncanny ability to crack a good ‘dad’ joke and with his quick wit he often left those around him bewildered yet smiling. When he wasn’t working, tinkering or building, he enjoyed spending time with his family as well as adventuring with his wife - ensuring the two would take their summer trips to Maine, take hikes as often as possible and paddle boat together. Terry would satisfy his sweet tooth with ice cream cake, loves grilling a good steak, stoking the coals of a bonfire on a cool New England fall night, and soaking in the scenery of Bar Harbor, Maine.

Cremation arrangements will be handled by French and Rising Funeral Home, 17 South Mast Street, Goffstown, N.H. A service will be held on Wednesday, May 17, with calling hours from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.