Marie Flora Jamison Goggin

Marie Katherine Flora Jamison Goggin

August 31, 1927 – September 23, 2022

God blessed Marie with 95 years on earth where she delighted in His salvation and a full life.  Indefatigable, indominable, and always an independent thinker, Marie was one of a kind.  Known for her beauty, spirit, hospitality, work ethic, and sacrificial care for her family, Marie embraced each day as a new beginning and fresh opportunity to do something meaningful. 

After having to lean on the kindness and generosity of others during the Depression, she never forgot how it felt to be hungry or to rely upon others, and she made generosity a priority. Those early years also shaped her life, and she valued financial and intellectual independence for women, advocating for women’s rights and voices. She was a living testament to resilience and not living with regrets. She lived in positivity and optimism whatever her circumstances. She reminded her children to avoid envy of others because everyone has challenges, either visible or invisible, and encouraged them to be grateful in every situation.

God blessed Marie with tremendous emotional intelligence and moxie, because a lesser mother and woman may have not survived her kids’ childhood antics. She also leaned on the Lord for wisdom and guidance and built her relationship with Him throughout her life.

Graced with beauty inside and out, and “race horse legs,” Marie also was high-spirited and energetic like a thoroughbred.  She was always ready for the next adventure, destination, and twist in the road. Her journey took her to all 50 states and many countries, from helicopter flights over volcanos to camel-back in Jordan, from the Acropolis to Antigua.  Wherever the expedition, she was game for the trip. Vacations were escapes, where she encouraged her family to seek new perspectives, break the rules (but not the law), eat dessert first, and embrace risks to live fully.

In her daily life Marie lived sacrificially, always putting the needs of her family first.  While working full time throughout her life, she also raised a family of five and later cared for her husband, Clark, through years of poor health. Despite the demands upon her, Marie was continuously learning and always growing.  In her 50s she decided to continue her education and took business classes to prepare for her DuPont retirement, when she then opened Boones Mill Florist.  Her success in the business was rewarding, but what she truly loved was the beauty of the flowers and the creative outlet for her ideas.

She faced Clark’s passing, after 50 years of marriage, with sorrow but also the same stoic determination to look and live forward.  A few years later she married lifelong friend E. Chapman Goggin and they spent 11 joyful years together, laughing and dancing like giddy teens, until his death in 2007.

Marie was eternally youthful and always wanted to stay current with the times. From dancing to Beatles’ music in her 60s and boating and hiking in her 70s to riding in the sidecar of a motorcycle for hours in her 80s, her energy and attitude was inspirational.

She approached everything she did with verve and commitment to do it well.  She could outshop, out-work, outpace and out-fun all of her kids. She was unique and her children were proud that their mother was unlike others. They also deeply loved and respected her, as shown by her six namesakes:  Lisa Marie, Laura Katherine, Sarah Katherine, Claire Katherine, Ann-Marie, and Katie Marie.

Marie survived husbands J. Clark Jamison, Sr., and E. Chapman Goggin, as well as her cherished daughter, Linda Faye Jamison, daughter-in-law Deidri Sarver-Jamison, infant granddaughter Katie Marie, and her four siblings.  Her earthly legacy includes sons, Clark and wife Shirley, Fred and wife Linda, and Lynn; daughter Lisa and husband Kevin Bowling; grandchildren Laura (Clay) Bowman, Emily Grantham, Jena Jamison, Becca Jamison, Trey (Liza) Jamison, Satchel Bowling, and Claire Bowling; and great-grandchildren Emma, Sarah, and Ava Bowman; Ann-Marie, Cole, and Gage Grantham; and Charlotte, Nora, and Libby Jamison, as well as grandson by marriage Shawn (Lisa) Crockett. Marie also loved her extended family, in-laws, and nieces and nephews. Special friends and caregivers over the last 10 years include Ana Lozano, Marsha Tyree, Carol Johnson, Stephanie Gonzalez, Brittany Hill, and granddaughter Becca Jamison.

The family will be holding visitation from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, October 1, at Conner-Bowman Funeral Home, and at Fairmont Baptist Church, at 1669 Bethlehem Rd. Boones Mill, on Sunday, October 2, from 2-3 p.m., immediately followed by the memorial and committal services officiated by family friend The Rev. Dr. Bonny Dillon. The service will be livestreamed via Fairmont Baptist’s Facebook page.  The family invites attendees to wear red, Marie’s favorite color, or another cheerful color to celebrate her life. If you wish to celebrate her life, please consider a gift to the charity of your choice, Fairmont Baptist Church’s building fund, or for battered women through the Friends of the Franklin County Family Resource Center, c/o Fred Jamison, 4432 Bethany Road, Boones Mill, VA 24065.

We thank God for the gift of our precious mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and the legacy and lessons, as well as a Christian faith she imparted, to guide us.

Arrangements by Conner-Bowman Funeral Home, 62 VA Market Place Drive (Route 220 @ Wirtz Road), Rocky Mount, VA 24151. www.connerbowman.com