Teleia Mae Goddard

Teleia M. Goddard, despite being a tenacious fighter and winning multiple medical battles over the past several years, left her family and friends on September 11, 2021, in Portland, Oregon. She was 73 years old. She had a large heart and frequently shared what she had, even when it wasn’t much, with others; offering shelter, love, food, and money to those who needed it. Dedicating herself to caring for others, she built a career, a family, and a life centered around service; this was both her passion and the legacy by which she will be remembered. Teleia was born on March 17, 1948, in Oakland, California to parents Margaret Gomes and Albert Noble. The daughter of a factory worker and a sheriff, she enjoyed a happy childhood with her sister, LeiLani, and was a smart, curious child who excelled at school—a trait that she kept throughout life. Later in life, a college friend would say “being Teleia’s ‘study buddy’ meant you had to stay on top of things just to keep up with her intelligence.” She had a large extended family with hundreds of cousins, and family gatherings had to be held in a place that reflected that—they often held barn dances and she spoke frequently of her fond memories of singing, dancing, and spending many weekends with her large family. Her cousin said she remembered Teleia as beautiful, just like her mother. Teleia graduated early from Washington High School in Fremont, CA. It was there she met Allen Goddard in a lecture hall. They dated, fell in love, and were married within months of leaving high school on October 30, 1965. They purchased a home in Fremont and raised two children. She spent a small amount of time as a stay-at-home mom, but soon followed in her mother’s footsteps and opted to find a job. She found work as a clerk at a local lumber yard where she learned to “keep the books” and manage the accounting before she and Allen opened a pet store. Like many marriages, there were ups and downs and complications. Unfortunately, hers eventually contained many downs. While Allen was a good father to Kimberly, he was not as good of a spouse to Teleia. Nearly 20 years after being married, she filed for divorce and started over. She got a job working as an activities director in an elderly care home, and went back to school to become a psychiatric technician while raising her daughter, and helping to raise Darien’s son. In the divorce, Allen got the business and Teleia got to pursue education and a life of purpose; demonstrating her dedication to hard work as well as how to be brave, stand up for yourself, and work to overcome seemingly impossible situations. After completing her schooling, she worked with developmentally disabled clients in state care, a task that took both strength and humor; flying excrement has a way of making you not take things too seriously. Though she loved working with the clients, the severely underfunded and understaffed state hospital left her with multiple injuries and took its toll on her body leaving her with no choice but to move on to other adventures. She didn’t hesitate to pack up and travel with her daughter, Kimberly, to Arizona when Kimberly was fleeing a dangerous partner. There she helped raise her grandsons (Tyler and Scott) while continuing her education and caring for clients in a developmentally disabled care home. Teleia made a few more moves with Kimberly and, after caring for her father at the end of his life, moved to Portland, Oregon, to be with Kimberly, her husband (Chad Kropf) and their family (Tyler Poole, Scott Poole, & Alexandria Goddard). In Portland, Teleia earned her bachelor's degree in Social Work, and later in her 50s, a master’s degree in Special Education from Portland State University. She considered this her biggest accomplishment. She went on to work as a special education teacher and her efforts in the classroom touched the lives of dozens of students helping them not just graduate but see their worth while nurturing a belief in themselves and their futures. Teleia proved it was never too late to change your story, but there was more to her than just overcoming struggle. She fiercely loved both friends and family. One friend said, “next to the definition of ‘kindness’, there should be a picture of Teleia. She had an uncanny way of knowing when it was time to listen, and when it was time to offer advice.” Her childhood love for big family followed her through life, even as she moved away from her hometown, and she thought nothing of inviting friends into her life for holidays, meals, and special occasions. Her chosen family of friends is treasured by every one of Teleia’s family and certainly considered family in their own right. She had an irreverent humor, and while she was publicly reserved, she was unapologetic in her over-the-top humor behind closed doors, oftentimes delighting in the more deprecating or dark jokes with those closest to her—especially with her best friend of over 50 years, Peggy Lemas. While they had tame moments cooking with Peggy’s Uncle Joe or enjoying mimosas on the pier in San Francisco, they were also known to get into the kind of trouble that might very well land you in jail in today’s world. Peggy was a constant presence in Teleia’s life and was there through a bad marriage, the subsequent divorce, and the many years that followed. The two of them affectionately referred to one another as the love of each other’s life and were known for their nightly phone calls, pie runs, dirty humor, and strong spirits. Teleia loved dessert and hated vegetables—something that probably got her into trouble. She was proud of her Portuguese heritage and the food that accompanied it. She enjoyed crafting, painting, and spending time with family. She loved going to the movies, cooking, and absolutely detested extra cleaning of her house for company’s sake, believing people should care more about you then the state of your home; a policy we should all adopt to some degree. Favorite memories from family members include silliness like a backyard mud pit party for grandkids, being the getaway driver for her daughter and her friends when toilet papering a house at midnight, working on crafting projects, going to the beach, breakfast outings with plenty of syrup, and holidays spent together. Speaking of holidays, she loved them all and insisted you did too. If you have a holiday coming up, and aren’t sure what to serve, ask her family—they have most certainly memorized the appropriate menu. Teleia loved Motown. Her singing of Gladys Knight and Kimberly’s backup “Pips” dancing was a particular favorite. Her heart nonetheless belonged to Smokey Robinson, and she was able to see and enjoy him in concert many years ago. This year she was especially excited to receive a birthday video from him in March, sharing it with everyone she knew, and letting people know her daughter got Smokey to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. She loved Disneyland—having gone as a small child, it was her favorite childhood memory. She started a family tradition of taking her own children to the park for their 5th birthdays and wanted everyone to adopt the practice. Her family agrees. Having experienced single parenthood, an abusive relationship and the resulting mental health issues, the difficulty of completing an education while supporting a family on minimum wage, and lack of healthcare for times, she was a strong advocate for public policies that helped the least among us and was thrilled to see President Biden elected. While she didn’t see America’s first female president, she took immense joy in, and celebrated seeing, our first female vice president. She would also be upset if we didn’t take this moment to tell you to register and vote - in every election - without exception. She reveled in keeping up with her grandchildren and was immensely proud of their kindness, their successes, and who they are as adults. She loved being a grandmother and was thrilled to have Justin so close when he was little, enjoying outings with him and making him Halloween costumes. She looked forward to movies with Tyler and Sarah; antiquing and garage sales with Scott; and crafting, painting, and cooking with Alexandria. Teleia and her daughter spent as much time together as they could. They talked every day for 48 years, and though they often squabbled over stupid things (including food preferences or what to do in free time), they never doubted the deep love and affection they hold for one another. She had lots of opinions, didn’t stand for stupidity, and was dismayed by the degree to which people willfully chose ignorance - especially in relation to other people’s suffering. Her biggest regret was not taking a trip to visit Washington, DC, New York, or Mt. Rushmore with her daughter before the COVID-19 pandemic made it an impossibility. And as it turns out it is Kimberly’s biggest regret too. She is predeceased by her parents Margaret Swearingen and Albert (Al) Noble; as well as her sister LeiLani Spring; brother-in-law Raymond Spring; and nephew Bryan Spring. She is survived by her daughter, Kimberly Goddard and son-in-law, Chad Kropf; grandsons Justin Goddard, Tyler Poole (Sarah Poole), and Scott Poole; and granddaughter Alexandria Goddard. Not to mention the multiple friends and extended family that loved her and will miss her forever. A memorial mass will be held at St. Juan Diego’s Catholic Church, located at 5995 NW 178th Ave Portland, OR 97229 on October 16th at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, and in acknowledging the deep impact higher education had on Teleia’s life, her family is working on setting up a scholarship in her name and ask that you either donate to Portland Community College Foundation now or wait until they have everything set up and can share details about how to donate to the scholarship – please reach out directly to Kimberly. Education has always been the magical formula to change lives. Finally, please be generous with your words, actions, time, and money; become friends with your children; host big family events and redefine who you consider family; donate blood (it saved her life on multiple occasions and there is a current shortage); register to vote; get vaccinated (she could not emphasize this enough); be kind; and don’t put off travel or telling someone what they mean to you.