Obituary of Edward Barr Goodnow

Edward Barr Goodnow (Ned), 98, a longtime resident of Darien, CT, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2024. Ned lived a rewarding and fulfilling life. He was a devoted father, husband, and friend, as well as a decorated veteran, a notable investor, a committed philanthropist, and an enthusiastic angler and athlete. He will be remembered by all for his humor, humility, and kindness. Ned was born in Norwich, CT, on November 29, 1925, to Weston Whitney Goodnow and Mary Godfrey Barr. He moved to Stamford, CT, and later Riverton, NJ, after his father died in 1932 and his mother married Russel Murray Bigelow during the Depression. Ned attended The Hotchkiss School on a scholarship, graduating with his class early due to war. In June 1943, he entered Princeton University, also on a scholarship, completing his first year before enlisting in the United States Army in early 1944. As a trained rifleman, Ned shipped out to Europe with the 99th Infantry Division, arriving in Belgium in November 1944. Ned and his division were positioned on the thinly defended front lines of Elsenborn Ridge in the Ardennes Forest as the German offensive commenced during the Battle of the Bulge. On February 11, 1945, while attacking a machine gun position in the German trenches, Ned was wounded. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his bravery but was unable to return to his unit before the war ended. Ned graduated from Princeton in 1949 with a BA in History. He joined the securities firm of Kidder Peabody & Co. in New York. However, at the outbreak of the Korean War, Ned was recalled to the armed services and stationed in Germany as a First Lieutenant in the 42nd Field Artillery Battalion with NATO forces. After redeployment, Ned returned to Kidder Peabody until 1969, when he co-founded Goodnow, Gray & Co., a successful private investment firm in Darien, CT. He later co-founded the Goodnow Investment Group, an umbrella for hedge fund strategies, and remained an advisor and mentor to the investment team until recently. Ned credited his success in life to luck and the educational opportunities he received, and he paid back those gifts by establishing scholarships at Hotchkiss, Princeton, and Norwalk Community College to honor the family members who guided him and the friends who influenced his life as well as to help others succeed. Ned's philanthropic interests and support included education, the environment, Alzheimer's research, human and social services, and humanitarian efforts abroad. Ned married Dianne Throckmorton Goodnow (Dee) in Rye, NY, on September 17, 1955. They moved to Darien, CT, in 1959 and had three children. Ned was a long-time member of The Tokeneke Club, the Wee Burn Country Club, the Noroton Yacht Club, the Pawling Mountain Club, and the Tabusintac Club. He was an avid Tennis player, golfer, rower, skier, fisherman, and hunter. Ned was predeceased by his wife, Dee, in 2017, his brother, Wes Goodnow, and his sister, Mary Meyer. Ned is survived by his children, Dianne Throckmorton Goodnow of Rowayton, CT, Carleton Throckmorton Goodnow and his wife Anne of Darien, CT, and Olivia Throckmorton Goodnow and her husband Jeffrey Davis of Ridgefield, CT, as well as his grandson, Lance Edward T. Goodnow, of Darien, CT. The Goodnow Family wishes to extend our thanks to Ned's exceptional caregivers who cared for him with all their hearts, love, and compassion: Claudia, Huver, Barbara, Debbie, Iderle, Laura, Steven, and Adriana as well as to Ann, Martha, Denise and his many friends and acquaintances for their beautiful notes and unwavering support. In place of flowers, donations can be made to Family Centers, 40 Arch Street, Greenwich, CT 06830; The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, 57 West 57th St. Suite 904, New York, NY 10019; or Spirit of America, 3033 Wilson Blvd., Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22201. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at 11:00 am at Saint Luke's Episcopal Church, 1864 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT 06820, followed by interment in the St. Luke's Columbarium. Ned's WWII recollection can be found on: Moments in Time: Edward (Ned) Goodnow's Oral History on WWII - YouTube