Miss Virginia Marguerite Black was born on December 30th, 1922. She graduated from Shalersville High School in 1940. She earned a degree in home economics from Kent State University in 1944, shortly before her marriage to Frank H. Goodell.
She noted that back in the day, it wasn’t unusual for young ladies to attend college. “I knew I wanted to go to college long before I was old enough to go,” she noted, “to get as much education as I could.” She brushed off the notion of being a trailblazer, explaining that she was motivated to do as much as she could. She continued this theme throughout her lifetime.
Today, the Goodell family are well-regarded maple producers. The enterprise began with Virginia and Frank selling gallons after their marriage in 1944. Later, the business evolved, when they offered half-gallons, quarts, and smaller sizes of the delicious liquid as well as the maple-infused products they’re known for today. They continue to sell Goodell maple syrup and products at the Randolph Fair and other local events. And every spring, they host pancake breakfasts at the Shalersville Township Hall on weekends, served with local Goodell maple syrup.
Virginia noted that Frank joined the Rotary Club when it was a men’s only club. As soon as they allowed women to join, Virginia was one of the first to do so. She recalled that the Rotary provided her and her husband the opportunity to attend several international conferences. A photo of her and Frank riding an elephant at a training center was a highlight of one such international trip. As a part of the Rotary Club, Virginia helped implement the Mantua Christmas Tours, offering her historic home as one of the first homes on view.
The couple also participated in a farm exchange program, where they had the opportunity to host a farmer from Poland. In 1976, they participated in a Farmer to Farmer Exchange where they befriended a German farming couple, Herman and Margarite. Virginia noted that the couples visited each other several times over the years. She recalled that, at the time it seemed inconceivable to pick up the phone in Shalersville and connect to someone in Germany. Today, Herman and Virginia still speak on the phone.
In the early 80s, Virginia returned to school, earning a Master’s degree from Akron University. At that time, she coauthored a textbook on child development, See How They Grow: Concepts in Child Development and Parenting, with two other authors. She spent her teaching career at Crestwood High School, where she taught home economics and life skills. During that time, the Goodell family had the pleasure of hosting several foreign exchange students through the American Field Service Club. They hosted students from Indonesia, Cuba, Ireland, and Iran. She retired from teaching in 1985.
After retirement, she volunteered at the hospital in Ravenna, where tasks included helping sign in patients at the ER and providing magazines and newspapers to patients where she, “got to see everyone.” After Frank’s death in 2008, Virginia hosted a teacher from China who stayed with her during the school year, teaching Chinese at CHS.
In retirement, she kept busy with the family’s maple enterprise, the Rotary Club, the Mantua Village Garden Club, and writing a column entitled ‘Around Mantua’ for the Record Courier newspaper. She also planned day trips called ‘Ginny’s Jaunts’ to places like Kingwood Gardens, Dresden, Lancaster, and to see the lights at Oglebay Resort in West Virginia. “There were lots of places people wanted to see, but it was hard to go alone,” she noted. Each attendee paid a small fee for transportation and admission. She recalled that each trip always filled a bus of retirees and others.
Virginia and Frank raised their three sons on the Goodell Farm on Peck Road in Mantua, on the farm that’s been in the family since 1925. Virginia still resides in the lovely historic farmhouse. Their oldest son, Keith, lives in Connecticut with his wife Anne, while Jay and Bruce live nearby in Shalersville with their wives, Barb and Sherry. She noted that Jay continues his work on the family farm, while Bruce has recently retired.
When asked to impart wisdom on her 100th year, Virginia noted, “Don’t ever give up on life.” She added, “There’s nothing wrong with growing old — just don’t be surprised that you can’t remember anything.”
Virginia began piano lessons at the age of six or seven at a time when piano teachers came to your home for lessons. She began playing at church, encouraged by her Sunday school teacher. Two generations lived in her family home on State Route 44, with her grandparents living in the front while her family resided in the back. She recalled her grandfather leaving the door open so he could hear her play, singing along as she worked through her lessons. She played for years, eventually serving as choir director at Portage Faith. Even today, she notes that playing the piano is like second nature. She continues to play, with classical music by Beethoven and Chopin as favored composers.
In late December, the family celebrated the centenary of her birth with 40+ family members at a birthday meal, followed by an open house for 140+ friends and neighbors at Portage Faith United Methodist church. That same day, the Fellowship Hall was dedicated to the Goodell Family.
