Virgil Goff

Virgil Alvin Goff, 89, passed away Nov. 28, 2020 with his family by his side in Kuna, ID. Virgil was born Dec. 9, 1930 to Marion and Doshi Goff in McDonald County, MI. He was one of 10 children. In 1935, the entire family, plus one or two more loaded into a pick-up truck and headed to Idaho. In 1952, Virgil joined the Army, which he said were some of the best years of his life. He was stationed in San Antonio, TX. Virgil’s sister had introduced him to a friend of hers, Dorothy Sesena. He and Dorothy wrote to each other while he was away on assignment. On a freezing cold day while on maneuvers, Virgil pulled a shovel out of his pack and used its hard surface to write a letter to Dorothy asking her to marry him. When the Korean War ended, he returned home where he and Dorothy were later married in Payette, ID on March 17, 1955, which marked the beginning of a 62-year companionship! They later had two children together, Leah and Terry. Virgil enjoyed spending time with his family in the outdoors, hunting, and fishing, and taught his children and grandchildren to enjoy the same. There were many great memories made in New Meadows, ID together. Another passion of Virgil’s was baseball. He knew a lot about it from playing sandlot ball with Harmon Killebrew. He especially enjoyed coaching his son, Terry’s, Little League baseball teams. When they won, Virgil bought gallons of A&W Root Beer and ice cream for root beer floats! It was the perfect reward for all the teams he coached. You could find Virgil every weekend on a baseball field, fishing, or hunting with his lifelong friend, Odell “Digger” Capener and families. Virgil had a love for cars and all but one job he had revolved around them. He rebuilt several from the ground up; two of his favorites being a Model A and a 1964 Chevy Impala convertible. His grandchildren have fond memories of riding in the Payette parade in his cars with Grandpa and Grandma. His siblings were a huge part of his life. Once retired, he and Dorothy spent their winters in Yuma, AZ with some of them. They loved the 20+ years they were able to go. They enjoyed their Yuma friends, 4-wheeling in the desert, and weekly jam sessions. Virgil lived at Swan Falls Memory Care in Kuna, ID where he was loved and cared for by some very special girls. He enjoyed milkshake dates with his daughter, Leah, and watching football games with his son, Terry, and his daughter, Cheryl. He remained at Swan Falls until his passing on Nov. 28, 2020, surrounded by loved ones. There were so many good times we had together. He is loved and missed by so many. Virgil is survived by two sisters, Pansy Johnson and Betty Gentry (Ernie); his children, Leah Rowe (Gregg), Terry Goff (Cheryl), and Lorrie Percifield (Doug); three grandchildren, Erin Robinson (Devin), Hannah Rowe, and Savannah Rowe; two great grandchildren, Jude and Charlie Robinson; two sisters-in-law, and 38 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; parents, Marion and Doshi; one sister, Alfie; six brothers, Arvin, Louis, Neal, Art, Jim, and Dallas; four sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law. A graveside service for the family will be held at 1:00 PM on Friday, Dec. 4th. A live streaming will be on Facebook on the Shaffer-Jensen Payette Fruitland and New Plymouth Funeral Home page. Condolences may be made to Virgil’s family at www.shafferjensen.com.