Clyde E. Gooch

Clyde E. Gooch

November 21, 1942 ~ November 24, 2020

     Clyde passed away peacefully in his home on November 24, 2020 with his wife close by his side. Clyde was born to Harold and Eleanor Gooch on a farm in Shoshone, Idaho on November 21, 1942. Clyde, along with his identical twin, Claude, and their brothers Evan and Ellis helped their parents to operate the family farm.

     Clyde attended Shoshone schools and completed his junior year at Shoshone High School. Clyde married his lifelong love, Sarah, on August 22, 1960 and they moved to a home in Gooding where Clyde finished his senior year. Upon graduation, Clyde began working for the Safeway Food Stores and was employed with this company for several years.

     After a while, Clyde obtained employment at the Atomic Energy Site in Idaho Falls, Idaho and the family moved to the Eastern part of the State. On October 26, 1960, a son named Grant Miles, was born in the Gooding Hospital to Clyde and Sarah. A few years later, on September 17, 1964, a daughter, Julia Lynne, was born in the Idaho Falls hospital.

     It was during this time that Clyde decided he wanted to obtain a college degree so the Gooch family moved from Idaho Falls to Pocatello so he could attend classes at Idaho State University. While Clyde was attending college during the day, he was able to still work the night shift at the Site. Clyde's job at the Site was to monitor the nuclear reactors. Periodically, throughout his shift, Clyde had to make certain the reactors remained at a certain temperature. Any change in the temperature would have resulted in the reactor exploding. There was considerable risk in this particular job.

     Clyde graduated in May of 1971. As a part of a huge graduating class, Clyde was in the top twenty and kept a 4.0 grade point average throughout college. Clyde was a member of Alpha Kappa Phi which was the fraternity for students with the highest scholastic ability.

     Upon getting his bachelor's degree, Clyde accepted a job with Boise Cascade, a lumber company, in Boise Idaho which was one of the largest employers in the state of Idaho at that time.

     Clyde's job was as an internal auditor and in this capacity was able to travel throughout the United States, Canada, and the Philippines. Clyde's responsibility was to inspect all of the Boise Cascade facilities to make certain each plant was operating in the most efficient manner possible. After several years with Boise Cascade, Clyde was flying home from a business trip and while reading the Wall Street Journal noticed an ad for an auditor for a missile plant company in San Diego, California.

     Clyde responded to the ad, received an offer for an interview, and was hired by General Dynamics. After living in the great state of Idaho for forty-two years, the family moved from Eagle to San Diego in 1986. Clyde's master plan was to work for General Dynamics until retirement age and then return to Boise. However, this plan did not come to fruition because of a decision made by President Reagan and the Russian President Gorbachev in 1993. The Presidents came to an agreement that the company would discontinue producing a type of missile which resulted in General Dynamics shutting down entirely and as a result, almost twenty-two thousand employees lost their jobs. Clyde saw an ad in the Los Angeles Times for an internal auditor in Northern California close to San Francisco. Clyde responded, received an offer, and another unexpected move happened to the Gooch family.

     So, after just seven years in Paradise, which San Diego was known for, a whole new life awaited the Gooch family in their new location. After working for several years in Northern California for another missile company, called Space Systems Loral, Clyde accepted a position in Tucson, Arizona for a third missile manufacturer called Raytheon. In January 2000, the family moved from Pleasanton, California to the Sonoran Desert.

     In January 2010, Clyde lost his beloved twin brother, Claude, who had been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a fatal lung disease. In May 2011, Clyde was diagnosed with the same condition and was given only 2-5 years to live. After Clyde received this diagnosis, he made the decision to retire from Raytheon and the family moved back to Boise, Idaho in November 2011. In October of 2013, Clyde with his family traveled St. Louis, Missouri where Clyde received a double lung transplant at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital. This operation gave Clyde seven more years of life.

     Clyde's life was one that was well lived. Clyde conducted his life by a code of honor and decency both at his workplace and in his private life. Clyde received a multitude of accolades during his long, distinguished professional life. But, no matter how much praise Clyde received from what he accomplished in his time with Boise Cascade and the missile companies, nothing could compare with the satisfaction and the fulfillment of being an exemplary husband to his wife, Sarah, and an amazing father to his children, Grant and Julia.

     A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 1:00 pm at Demaray Funeral Service - Gooding Chapel. 

     Burial will follow at the Elmwood Cemetery in Gooding.

     Please follow social distancing recommendations.

     Funeral arrangements are under the care and direction of Demaray Funeral Service - Gooding Chapel.

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