David Goodheart

BLOOMINGTON -- David Jesse Goodheart, 57, died suddenly of a massive heart attack Wednesday (Nov. 10, 2004) at his home in Chicago.

David was born in Salem, Ore., March 4, 1947, to Jesse M. and Elsie Jones Goodheart. His father died in 1961. His mother resides in Bloomington. Also surviving are his sister, Darlyne (Chuck) Holley, Scottsdale, Ariz.; one uncle and aunt in Bloomington, Ernie and Olive Jones; an aunt in Prairie Village, Kan.; an aunt in Elmhurst; and several cousins. David was a former resident of Bloomington. He graduated from Bloomington High School and attended Illinois State University in Normal. As a toddler David loved trains and as he grew older became a true railroad enthusiast who turned that enthusiasm into a profession. He began his own company, "Goodheart Productions," making videos of steam locomotives, and as the market changed, DVDs. This took him to 20 to 30 countries and all across the United States, and in the process David made literally hundreds of friends. He had a talent for remembering faces and names and found much joy and pleasure in "talking steam" with them. David also made serious railroad enthusiasts happy by putting trips together so they could enjoy the rare "organized opportunity" of preserved locomotives on "planned runs." David had an exceptional loving and caring relationship with his mother and was a wonderful son. He was loved by his family and friends; he will be missed.