Robert "Sonny" L. Goodson, Jr

If you know Sonny (G-Man) Goodson, you understand we cannot, in good conscience, write a stuffy obituary. He would absolutely haunt us, as he often threatened to do. :)

Our Dad held many titles in his life. We want to share a few to give you a picture of the man he was to us and so many others:

-Lead singer of the band Atlanta Hard Time

-Atlanta Drag Racing Champion

-Police Officer 
(He very often received letters from people he arrested thanking him for changing their lives.)

July 1967: City of Atlanta
May 1994: Covington PD
October 1998: Newton County Sheriff's Office
January 2010: Retired with Newton County Sheriff's Office
Realized he had more to give, so . . . 
May 2016: Jasper County Sheriff's Office
February 2021: Retired with Jasper County Sheriff's Office 

-K9 Officer 
(He loved Astra the Belgian Malinois and Kegan the Dutch Shepherd, the dogs he served with.)

-Member of the East Metro Drug Enforcement Team 
("We make house calls." This was absolutely one of his favorite jobs.)

-President of the Blue Knights GA XIX 
(Blue Knights, you probably know this, but y’all meant the world to him.)

-VERY proud Granddad / DaDa 
(His grandchildren could do NO wrong and he regularly advocated for them to have whatever they wanted from their parents. Where was this guy when we were kids?) :) 

-Habinabus 
(The character he made up to scare his daughter, son, and friends at birthday sleepovers.)

-The Tornado Whisperer
(His daughter was terrified of tornadoes, and he helped her through it every time.)

-Huge fan of his son-in-law and grandson's music and film-making endeavors.

-Builder of The Treehouse 
(He built an epic treehouse for his son, which still stands today, complete with an escape hatch.)

-Son, Brother, and Uncle
(We find solace knowing with certainty he is in heaven with his mother, Jimmie Standford, his brother, Doug Wood, and his father, Robert L. "Bob" Goodson Sr.)

-Believer
(Dad professed his faith in Christ years ago when he was a member of Solid Rock Baptist Church in Covington.)

-Self-Proclaimed Lifetime Member of the Grumpy Old Police Officer Club
(His desktop background served as his daily reminder!)

Our favorite titles he held, though, are Loving Husband and Dad. 

Sonny loved Teresa with his whole heart, and she made him an incredibly happy man. They were made for each other. 

As his kids, we have so many memories, so many stories. Dad was larger than life and he could do anything. Whatever you needed, he was happy to help and knew exactly how to do it. The only thing he wouldn't do is close drawers he opened, something he passed on to his two oldest grandsons. :)

The stories, memories, comments, and messages we've received have comforted us and made us laugh, which is exactly what Dad would want. Here are a few:

"Sonny was a stud his whole life." :)
"Great father, great friend, great man."
"So much love and respect."
"Sonny was one of a kind."
"A damn good man's man."
"He always had a smile on his face and the best sense of humor. His uniform was always on point and so was his hair! 934 will never be forgotten."
"Such a professional in every aspect and always a kind word."
"Sonny was a friend to many people and will be truly missed."
"When I began my career with Covington PD I was given Sonny's badge number. 230. I knew that his badge number carried a lot of weight because of who Sonny was. He was liked and loved by many. It was a true honor to be assigned that badge number after him. He was definitely one of the best. He always kept you on your toes and a smile on your face. Definitely will be missed."
"He was my hero."
"He could do ANYTHING and he was so smart, so organized."
"Sonny, thank you for your commitment and integrity."
" . . . my sole reason and inspiration to be in law enforcement!"
"Love ya Brother, we got it from here… 934"

An old friend of Dad's reminded us that he was a big-hearted "cantankerous ole heathen" and we KNEW we couldn't end his obituary any other way. But we also know, even with our effort to write a summary of his life that suits him, he will do everything in his power to hide behind doors - just waiting to scare the crap out of us - and he will love every second of it.

We love you more than you could possibly know, Dad, and we miss you immensely. 

~God made us family. Love made us friends.~

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Sonny Goodson Memorial Fund to help offset funeral costs and medical bills:

Sonny Goodson Memorial Fund
c/o Blue Knights GA XIX
PO Box 64
Jersey, GA 30018-9900
Please make checks payable to: Sonny Goodson Memorial Fund

OR to give online:

Sonny Goodson Memorial Fund – GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/578e4586 
 

Teresa Goodson
Glenn, Cindy, Max and Caleb Hall
Lance, Mitzi, Brayden and Colton Goodson
Felicia Rady
Johnny Carpenter
Brian, Aimee and Bo Souto
Mark, Toni, Landon, Colby and Ava Goodson
Troy Goodson
Joey Wood
Leigh Wood Winkles
Tonya Goodson
Bobbie and Bella
 

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