contributed photo Kevin Goodman was an elected member of the Marshall County Board of Supervisors.

Kevin Goodman, a first-term Marshall County Supervisor, Haverhill area farmer, Marshalltown High School (MHS) alum and baseball enthusiast who played for the now-defunct Iowa State University (ISU) squad in the 1980s, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 63.

The news was confirmed in an email sent from fellow Supervisors Jarret Heil and Carol Hibbs to county employees, and a cause of death has not been publicly shared.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Marshall County Supervisor Kevin Goodman. Kevin lived a remarkable life filled with family, adventure, and service to his community. We will remember his passion for serving his community. Everyone at Marshall County shares our deepest condolences to Dana and the entire Goodman family,” they wrote.

Heil, the current board chairman, also shared reflections on working with Goodman, who narrowly won the 2024 Republican primary over Bill Schendel before coasting to victory in the general election that November.

“Kevin really enjoyed serving the people of Marshall County. He loved learning all aspects of county government. Today is a very sad day. I’m really going to miss Kevin as he was a great friend to me and to many. God bless him and his family,” he said.

In his own statement, Marshall County Attorney Jordan Gaffney expressed a similar sentiment.

“Kevin had a heart for helping others, and his time as a Supervisor reflects that he was committed to doing so. I’m thankful for Kevin’s service to our community, to have had the opportunity to get to know him, and to have talked baseball with him,” Gaffney said. “Kevin’s passing is a major loss for our community, and my heart hurts for his family and loved ones, for whom this loss is experienced most. Kevin is missed. And his family and friends are in my thoughts and prayers.”

Marshall County Auditor/Recorder Nan Benson recalled Goodman’s warm nature and eagerness to learn as a relative newcomer to the job.

“As County Supervisor, Kevin was known for his passion for learning and his willingness to take on his new roles and responsibilities to better serve residents. Kevin’s work reflected a genuine desire to make a positive difference, and his contributions will have a lasting impact on Marshall County. Kevin will be remembered for his dedication, integrity, and for me his smile and cheerful ‘hello’ as he came into our meetings,” she said. “I still have the photo of Kevin, (Sheriff) Joel Phillips, and myself when we were sworn into office on Dec. 20, 2024, by Judge Jennifer Miller. He was a great co-worker, eager to learn, and he served his community with dedication, humility, and a deep commitment to public service.”

Despite his passions for agriculture, history and baseball, Goodman’s greatest joy came from raising his three children alongside his wife Dana, his oldest son Christian said.

“He loved people. He loved his family. He’s got a very strong group of buddies, and they stay in contact every year. He’s always been the connector in getting the guys together,” Dana said. “He loved teaching young kids baseball and softball. He always said he thought maybe he should’ve been a history teacher. He loved history, and he never met a stranger he didn’t know. He’s a good guy. He trusted people, loved farming (and was) very passionate about feeding cattle.”

Christian, a Class of 2010 MHS graduate, added that his father took pride in doing things “the right way,” was always working to improve and was never afraid to think outside the box.

“Whether it was feeding cattle or baseball, he was a very analytical and creative individual. I just know (that) there was just no quit in the guy. It didn’t matter what the situation was. He wasn’t gonna back down from it,” he said. “We had people come and work for us (on the farm), and they’ve all reached out and said how much they enjoyed working with him because he treated everybody like they were his family. And he was a really genuine person. I’ve been told that by a lot of people that there was just something about him that made you feel comfortable, and I know a lot of people have told me in the last few days that they would lean on him for support at times — stuff I didn’t even know about. He was never afraid to stop and help somebody in need.”

Even recently, Christian said, Kevin had assisted a woman with a flat tire just down the road, called deputies to ensure that she was safe and offered to pay for a new one before McAtee Tire owner Tom Wahl stepped up to donate it himself.

“That was not uncommon for him to do those kinds of things. From the time we were little, he coached our sports teams, and in talking to my teammates from those youth league sports, that was a time in their life that they remember because he made it memorable because of how he taught baseball and the things that he told them and the values that he (instilled),” Christian said. “It wasn’t just about winning, obviously. He taught a lot of life lessons to young kids, and I know that he helped out a lot of kids that didn’t have the funds to play in those kinds of leagues. And he made sure they had a fair opportunity. It’s just the kind of guy he was, and he really loved to see people succeed and get better. And he didn’t care who you were or what you were doing.”

In addition to youth coaching, he coached softball at MHS and served as an umpire. Christian felt that his father approached the county supervisor role with a similar vigor and cared deeply about doing a good job.

“He always gives it everything he’s got. He’s always trying to be better, and that was just who he was. Of course, he brought whatever he could to try to do the best job that he could, and watching everything else go on and the other stressors in his life, he gave it everything he had to perform in that role,” he said. “He lived life to the fullest, and I don’t think he ever cheated himself. He got the full life experience… I was really looking forward to watching him continue to sit in that county supervisor’s position, and looking back on it, I wish that he could have gotten into that kind of a position sooner because he’s a servant to the people.”

Goodman, a Republican, had recently started his second year in the role — attending the regular meeting on Dec. 31 and the organizational meeting on Jan. 2 — and was slated to serve a four-year term through the end of 2028. According to Benson, a vacancy will be declared at the regular Jan. 14 meeting, and within 40 days, the county’s appointment committee will work to choose a new supervisor who would then likely run to serve out the remainder of Goodman’s term in the November election.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.