Kelly Dawn Recker

  Kelly Dawn Goodwin-Recker   Kelly Dawn Goodwin was born in Lakewood, CA on November 14, 1966 to Stanley Kyle Goodwin and Janet Marie Payne.  She grew up in Lakewood with brother Michael Goodwin and attended Cleveland Elementary, Cecil B. DeMille Junior High and Lakewood High School, where she graduated in 1984.   In 1990, Kelly earned her BS in Nursing from California State University - Long Beach.  She began her career doing rotations at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.  She then worked many years as a nurse in the Emergency Department at Anaheim Memorial Hospital, where son Timothy was born.  Kelly also taught clinical nursing courses for Biola University in LaMirada.  She ended her career at the Leisure World Health Care Clinic in Seal Beach.  Kelly took several graduate level courses at Biola University but put her graduate work on hold to focus on raising her children.   Kelly gave her life to Christ as a child while attending First Baptist Church of Lakewood (now Arbor Road Church).  She wandered from her faith during her junior high and high school years.  Kelly returned to her Lord and Savior during her first year in college and she never looked back.  Kelly’s relationship with Jesus was the most important thing in her life.  She dedicated her life in service to Him and His kingdom. She did short term mission trips to the Philippines twice, along with several medical mission trips to Mexico.  At Bethany Church in Long Beach she served on the leadership teams for the MOMS ministry and Journey classes for many years.  She also served as camp nurse at Super Summer Camp along with countless Sundays of nursery and child care.  She freely gave of her knowledge and time to numerous family and friends.  In addition to all of this, Kelly home schooled all of her children from middle school through high school.   In December of 1990, Kevin and Kelly met while preparing to attend the Intervarsity Urbana Missions Conference.  Kevin was intrigued with her upon their first meeting and wanted to get to know her.  However, he was slow in asking her out and did not actually do that until the following summer.  By that time, Kelly had started to date someone else.  Kevin moved to South Carolina in the Fall of 1991 fearing that he might never see Kelly again.  But behold, she sent him a Christmas card that December and ever so gently hinted that she was no longer dating.  With renewed hope, Kevin wrote back and regular correspondence between South Carolina and Southern California began.  Nice letters turned into love letters and Kevin moved back to Long Beach in May of 1992.  Steady dating commenced immediately and Kelly and Kevin were married on September 18, 1993.   God blessed Kelly and Kevin with son Timothy Joel in June of 1995.  The family was evicted from their  apartment shortly after Timothy was born and they purchased their first home in Long Beach in August of 1995.  Clara Dawn arrived in November of 1997 and Audrey Ruth followed in January of 2001.   Throughout 2015, Kelly had back, shoulder, and arm pain.  During the summer, it became very severe.  In September of this year, scans showed that she had a 3.5 centimeter mass in her spine which was the source of the severe pain she was experiencing.  We also learned at that time that she had a 10 centimeter mass in her liver along with spots on her lungs and enlarged lymph nodes.  We were fairly certain that it was cancer but that was not confirmed until October.  On October 12th, Kelly underwent a 4 ½ hour spinal surgery to remove the tumor and have spinal fusion.   Radiation treatment on the spine was done during November and Kelly was only able to have two chemotherapy treatments in December before being admitted to the hospital early Christmas morning. On Thursday, January 7th, the family met with Kelly’s oncologist and attending physician to discuss Kelly’s condition.  We were devastated to learn that Kelly was so weak and the cancer so pervasive that she could undergo no further treatment.  Her doctors recommended that we place her into hospice care.  On Sunday, January 10th, Kelly was discharged from the hospital to home hospice care.  On Thursday morning, January 21, 2016, Kelly passed from this life to her home in glory with her beloved Lord and Savior.  Throughout this illness, Kelly fought with determination and grace and wanted most to give glory to God in the midst of this great challenge.   Kelly was preceded in death by her father Stanley Goodwin in 2004.  She is survived by her mother, Janet Goodwin and brother Michael Goodwin; her husband Kevin Recker and their three children Timothy, Clara, and Audrey Recker; her ten nieces Christina Bartlett-Pratt, Valerie Goodwin, Elizabeth Goodwin, Allison Goodwin, Amber Smallwood-Smith, Danielle Smallwood-O’Quinn, Briana Santillana, Genesis Sefiane, Elysa Sefiane, and Caira Sefiane; three nephews Lucas Santillana, Josiah Santillana, and Zachariah Santillana;  grand niece Danica Pratt and grand nephew Brody Pratt.   A viewing will take place on Tuesday, January 26th from 6 to 8 pm at Luyben Dilday Mortuary located at 5161 E. Arbor Road in Long Beach.  Funeral service will be Wednesday, January 27th at Cornerstone Church located at 1000 N. Studebaker Road in Long Beach.  Prelude begins at 10:30 am with the service starting at 11:00 am.  Kelly will be layed to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress with a private family ceremony.   In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Kelly’s memory to one of three organizations dear to her heart:  Down Syndrome Association of Orange County (dsaoc.org); Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.org); or Home School Legal Defense Association (hslda.org).