David Carroll Goodnight

David Carroll Goodnight, 70, of Marietta, passed away peacefully on Apr 23, 2023 after a fast and furious battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his siblings Beth Goodnight, Krista Goodnight Fidlow, Julie Goodnight, and Curtis Goodnight; his aunt Nancy Hattox; and multiple nieces, nephews, and cousins.

David was born in Baltimore, Maryland to parents H. Joan Schlesinger Goodnight and J. Carroll Goodnight (who both predeceased him). He graduated from Richard Montgomery High School (Rockville, MD) in 1970, then attended Maryville College (Maryville, TN) majoring in biology. He joined the Marines in 1972, and was stationed in Japan for 3 years while serving as a disbursement clerk. In 1978 he joined the Navy where he studied aviation and electronics. He began his career at Lockheed Martin (Marietta, GA) in 1984 where he worked as a flight line electrician for 35 years before retiring in 2019. He was loved and respected by his co-workers, who fondly called him ‘Bubba.’ During the 80s and 90s, David was married to Donna Lambert Goodnight, who passed away around 1997.

David had many interests including astronomy, archeology, geology, and fossils; Mayan culture; all things National Geographic and surf music. He was also a dog lover, owning many over his lifetime, but his favorite was his best-dog, Max.

In his retirement, David planned to make cross-country trips to visit fossil dig sites, national parks and monuments, volcanoes, mystifying historical and geological sites, and more. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic postponed his plans, in 2022 he took a wonderful, month-long road trip starting from his home in Atlanta, winding his way up to North Idaho, down through California, then homeward bound across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. During that trip he hiked and fished in Idaho with his sister Beth, and he climbed a mountain at Pinnacles National Park with his sister Krista. He was dreaming of more trips, but cancer dashed his plans.

David was a man of few words, but once engaged, he could tell stories for hours. His wit, humor, intelligence, and helpful nature made him a most unique human. He will be sorely missed by family and friends.

A military funeral will take place at a later date. Donations in his memory can be made to Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, PBS, or the ASPCA.