Obituary for Kerry Jo (Poppert) Goodson

Riding one of her horses in an open field on an Iowa spring afternoon with her dogs trotting behind her was the perfect day for Kerry Jo. She loved her animals and that kindness and compassion spread to her friends and family. She was kind, caring, generous and loyal. All that knew her cherished their relationship.

Laughter was central to Kerry Jo’s life and was what she most enjoyed sharing whether it be with people or animals. Even in her last days, laughter was always in her heart as she reminisced of silly childhood escapades, exuberant travel adventures, and exciting horse shows.

She loved being in nature. The trees, wildflowers, fireflies and a full moon were her recharge. Her favorite place to hike was Jenny’s Trail in Utah, which shared her beloved sister’s name.

Kerry Jo was always up for an adventure. One of her favorite childhood memories was when the family moved to Anchorage, Alaska. After returning to her hometown of Grand Island, NE, she and three of her elementary school friends competed in the Nebraska State Junior Olympics taking first place in the 440 relay, beating the high school winning time. Later in life, she enthusiastically learned to drive a semi-truck to haul her show horses around the country. She was an exceptional horse woman. In 1996, she competed in the All American Quarter Horse Congress winning second place in western and third in English riding on her horse Shy Boy. Her soul horse was Suma, whom she helped deliver.

Rojo the Wonder Dog was her heart dog and they spent many happy years together. Bandekoot was her first pup to be followed by Blackie, Sweet Pea, Sir Newton, two Sables and finally Journey.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University. She spent her early career working at Merle Norman where she made many life-long friends. In the late 1990’s she went to work at Diversified Management Services, Inc. where she met her future husband Richard (Dick) Goodson. They married in November 1999. She shared Dick’s interests in politics, international relations and trade engaging with local, state and national political leaders to discuss policy and advocate for their causes. They traveled extensively, with Hawaii and the high desert of Utah being her favorite destinations.

Kerry Jo is preceded in death by her husband Dick, Mother Janice Poppert, Father Ralph Poppert, and Sister Jennifer (Poppert) Martinez. She is survived by her Brothers Tim Poppert and Rick Poppert (Arlene), niece Becky Goodrich and her four children Jocelyn, Luke, Theo and Penny; nephews Adam Goble (Michelle), Ben Goble (Angie) and Nick Goble; niece Meghan (Martinez) Roeser (Ryan) and nephews Marcus Martinez (Amy) and Zach Martinez.

A celebration of life will be held at the Sprinkle Garden at Glendale Cemetery, 4909 University Avenue, Des Moines, on Sunday, June 29 at 1 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Kerry Jo’s name to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa.