Carl Louis Goatcher, Kimberling City, MO, son of William and Lottie Goatcher was born January 5, 1919 in Troy, KS and passed away on Friday, March 13, 2009 in St. John's Hospital, Springfield, MO at the age of 90, after suffering a stroke.

Carl had six other siblings, three brothers and three sisters. His working life began early when during grade school he worked on his brother's farm to help pay for his school books, which paid off, because he eventually graduated from Missouri Western University in St. Joseph, MO. His next job was delivering groceries after school and he then went to work for Western Union. He then moved to being a meteorologist at Rosecrans Airport in St. Joseph, MO before joining the U. S. Army during World War II and spending time at Fort Sill, OK.

Carl married Norma Lorene Fountain in 1942, building their first home in St. Joseph, MO and later a lake house in Ozawkie, KS. Their first of their two daughters, Carlene was born in 1943, followed by Annette in 1953. In 1984 Carl and Norma moved to Wilmington, NC to be close to their two daughters who had moved there. In 1996 they returned to Missouri to spend their autumn years in Kimberling City, MO.

After the war, Carl became an air traffic controller and directed flights in and out of Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph, MO for 35 years. In his spare time, Carl was a leading light at the Patee House Museum in St. Joseph as well as an active participant in the Model A Club and St. Joseph's Amateur Radio Club.

Family vacations were spent all around the United States taking in most of the National Parks. Carl had a particular fondness for fishing in Minnesota where he taught his girls to fish. Another area the family visited was the Ozarks which was later to become his home.

During his retirement years in Wilmington, Carl became something of a movie star, or at least his Model A motor cars did. He and his cars can be seen in numerous movies filmed in and around the Wilmington area. His lifelong hobby was amateur radio and he continued this in Kimberling City when he joined the Kimberling City Amateur Radio Club. Carl's fondness for talking took him to all sorts of places, both in the USA and overseas. With Carl's assistance the new Kimberling City Senior Center was completed and he was almost always to be found at the "Chat and Chew" gatherings each morning.

Survivors include: his wife, Norma; daughters, Carlene Swartz and Annette Oxby; 2 grandchildren, Jimmy Martin and Ashley Howard; two sisters, Ermel Buntin and Nona Atkinson; his cat, Courtney and a host of other relatives and friends.

Carl was preceded in death by his parents; 3 brothers, Henry, Ralph and Vatchel and sister, Freda Clevenger.

Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 17, 2009 in Stumpff Chapel-South, Kimberling City with Rev. Kimberly Cunningham officiating. Burial was in Philibert Cemetery under the direction of Stumpff Funeral Homes.