Eldon W. Goldman, 94, of Ottawa, passed away Friday morning, December 14, 2018 at the Ottawa Pavilion. A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, December 21, 2018 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa with Rev. Carolyn Lukasick, Pastor of Epworth United Methodist Church, officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service, at the funeral home. Burial will be at Oakwood Memorial Park. Eldon was born on April 2, 1924 in Wayne City, IL to James and Noma (Keele) Goldman. His family lived in many places in Illinois, and ended up in Ottawa for most of his life. Eldon was a member of the Ottawa Lions Club, Moose, Odd Fellows, former member of the Illinois Association of Realtors, and one of the founding members of the Model A car club. He was a U.S. Navy Veteran of WWII, and circled the globe. When Eldon returned from the war, he married his High School Sweetheart, Ruth Coughlin, in Lake Geneva, WI on May 19, 1948. He worked for Union Carbide, then American Hoerst and Carol Seward Realty. Eldon also owned apartment buildings and did all of the maintenance. He built, owned, and operated Perky Putt mini golf course in Ottawa, as well. He and his wife loved wintering in Florida in their motor home and traveling to Michigan in the summers. He enjoyed attending car shows, and collecting and showing his own antique cars. He was a big fan of the Chicago Bears and Bulls. His greatest joy was visiting and spending time with his family and friends: especially his grandchildren and great granddaughter. He liked attending their sporting events and never passed up a chance to play golf with his son and grandson. He is survived by two children, Bradley (Pamela) Goldman, of Ottawa and Linda (Curt) Hoxsey, of Grand Rapids, MI, 4 grandchildren, Alyssa and Jordan Goldman, and Christopher and Lisa Hoxsey, and a great granddaughter, Sydney Eick. He was preceded in death by his wife on December 8, 2014, a sister Bernice, two brothers, Aubrey and Byford Goldman, and several nieces and nephews, including a special nephew, Byf and his wife Bev. Memorials may be directed to the family.
He was laid to rest in the Garden of Devotion.