John Kert Goode, 82, of Bertram died May 30, 2015
John Kert Goode, 82, passed away from cancer at his home May 30, 2015, in Bertram, Texas. Born in Austin on Nov. 3, 1932, Kert was the only son of John Boyd and Cleo Jennings Goode.
Kert was an Order of the Arrow with the Tonkawa Dancers and an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. After graduating from Bertram High School in 1950, he attended Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture in 1954. While at A&M, Kert was deputy commander of the Corps of Cadets and a member of the elite Ross Volunteers. He was a regular member of the Aggie Christian Fellowship, where his personal relationship with Jesus became a vital part of his life. Kert was elected National President of the Student Section of the American Society of Agronomy.
Immediately upon graduation from A&M, he went into the U.S. Air Force Flight Training Program and received his wings as a jet fighter pilot in July 1955. He flew as an Air Force pilot in Korea and Nashville, Tennessee. After receiving his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1957, he earned his master’s degree in mathematics from Vanderbilt University and began a career with IBM, working in Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio; Bethesda, Maryland; and finally in the Dallas area, retiring in 1990.
Serving as mayor of Bertram for 2½ years, Kert was an active Republican for most of his life. He was a member of the Sul Ross Alumni group at Texas A&M and the Highland Lakes Aggie Club as well as a member of the Prairie Flower Garden Club in Bertram.
Kert and wife, Marilynn McKown Goode, were married 38 years and have one daughter, Sarah Heidler, who lives in Austin with her husband, Mike, and their two sons. Kert’s sons are Mark, Glen, Jay and their wives Marie, Keri and Judy. His stepsons are John R. Hughes, J.R. and Artie Hughes and their wives Sally and Moana. Together, they have 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A graveside service was held at Bear Creek Cemetery on May 31. Officiating was fellow Aggie E. Ridley Briggs of Mount Vernon, Texas.
A celebration of life service will be held at First Baptist Church in Bertram at a later date. Officiating will be Robert Heidler from Kert and Marilynn’s church, Glory of Zion International Ministries in Corinth, Texas.
Arrangements by Edgar & Jenkins Family Funeral Home, 109 N. Main St. in Burnet, (512) 756-4444. Go to jenkinsserves.com to offer condolences.