Esther Viola Good's Obituary
Esther Viola (Vi) Good
August 23, 1932-January 22, 2018
Esther Viola Good, age 85, passed away peacefully at the Sunrise Assisted Living in Sandy, Utah, on January 22, 2018. Esther had lived with Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s since 2009 and when it became apparent she could not live on her own, she moved from her much-loved home in Cupertino, CA to the Sunrise of Sandy in March, 2012. For almost 6 years, she enjoyed her room with the afternoon sunshine and beautiful views of the Salt Lake Valley, and valiantly fought her dementia with crossword puzzles, scrabble and other word games, which she loved. Esther liked being called “Vi” so many of her friends know her by that name, but family members mostly remember her as Esther.
Esther was born August 23, 1932 in Nampa, Idaho to Sarah Anna Wenger and Abraham Good. They were a hard-working Mennonite family, and Esther was baptized into the Nampa Mennonite church as a young girl. She was the 7th child of 8 children. Esther grew up on a farm and loved the outdoors and playing with her brothers. She loved her grade school at Sunny Ridge school in the Nampa countryside. She was outgoing, vivacious and had lots of friends. In late elementary school, she had to change schools and this was the beginning of a number of school changes for her. In high school, one year the family packed up and drove from Idaho to Virginia where she spent one year of high school. During this year, they visited many relatives and many states, 33 states in all from Pennsylvania to Florida, and then as they journeyed back to Idaho they traveled through Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon and finally back to Idaho. Esther spent another year of high school with an aunt in Arkansas, so she got to see a lot of the United States during her high school years.
Upon graduation from high school, Esther attended Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and
studied to become an elementary teacher. After graduation, she taught for one year in Arkansas, where her aunt and uncle lived, and then taught in her hometown of Nampa, Idaho. In 1958 she took a teaching job in Denver, Colorado, then after a couple years in Denver, she moved with a friend to the Bay area of California, and spent the rest of her teaching career in
California. She taught 1st grade for 38 years before she retired. Esther has great memories of
her teaching years and of teaching her students how to read and write. She always loved the
little children.
After retiring from teaching, Esther traveled with friends and family and also worked with
the local aging services helping elderly clients. She probably helped around 50 senior
citizens over a 12-year period, driving them around and helping with household chores.
Esther loved helping the elderly and they in turn loved her.
One of her most memorable trips after retirement included a trip in 1994 to Botswana,
Africa to visit her younger brother Ed & his wife Betty, who were serving with the Mennonite
Central Committee, working with refugees in Botswana.
Esther never married. She often said she would have liked to be married, but it just never worked out. When talking about her life, she would say, “Life is an interesting journey.”
Esther was preceded in death by her parents, Abraham and Anna Good, her siblings Elizabeth Kauffman, Martha Yoder, Rhoda Katherine (died at 14), Henry Samuel (stillborn) James A. Good, Miriam Marie (died at 20 months) and Edwin P. Good. She is survived by her sisters-in-law, Betty Good and June Good, and by 14 nieces and nephews, many great nieces & nephews and great-great nieces & nephews.
Funeral services provided by Premier Funeral Services, Salt Lake City, UT.
A memorial service celebrating her life will be held Memorial Day Weekend, May 26, 2018, at Sovereign Grace Fellowship church at 2:00 p.m. in Nampa, Idaho.
Internment will follow the service at Kohlerlawn cemetery, Nampa Idaho.
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