The man who died in a Portland house fire last week was a family man, an avid baseball fan and a longtime carrier for the Portland Press Herald.
David Goodell hugs his grandson James. Photo courtesy Tim Waterhouse
Relatives said David Goodell would always do what he could to support his loved ones, and the generations of their extended family will miss his presence. Firefighters found Goodell, 73, in the aftermath of the fire at his Broadway home on Aug. 4. More than 10 days later, investigators have not said how it started.
“Uncle David, he was always there for us,” Tim Waterhouse, his godson and nephew, said Friday.
Mary Ann Larrabee, who was Goodell’s partner for many years, was able to escape that morning and was later treated at the hospital for burns. Asked what they liked to do together, she answered: “Everything.”
Larrabee has two adult sons, one with Goodell, and she described him as a caring father to both. She said they loved him and are struggling with his loss, and she shared memories of him teaching their younger son to drive and taking their grandchildren on outings.
“He was a good man, he was a real good man,” said Larrabee, 53.
Jennifer Waterhouse, his niece and goddaughter, said Goodell let her family stay with him when they were homeless.
“If it wasn’t for him, me and my kids wouldn’t have had a place to live,” she said. “It got me on my feet. Now I have my own place, we’re doing good, and I don’t think without him that would have been possible.”
Their memories of Goodell often center on baseball, watching the Red Sox play on TV with his favorite beer in hand or going to Sea Dogs games in Portland.
“Me and my household have been talking about going to the Sea Dogs game,” Tim Waterhouse said. “He used to take us for birthdays to the Sea Dogs. Maybe soon we’ll go to the Red Sox game in honor of him, and I’ll have a Boston Lager, even though they’ll be $20 there. He’s worth it.”
They also recalled his work ethic and his extensive record collection. Paul Waterhouse Sr., who was married to Larrabee’s sister and named the couple as godparents to his children, said Goodell refused to retire from his paper route.
“He worked overnights,” he said. “He would come home in the morning and put on his oldies music until he decided to go to bed.”
People who worked with Goodell said he delivered newspapers for at least 14 years, likely longer.
“I will have to say he did an awesome job on his route and cared about his subscribers,” said Valerie Hill, senior area manager. “He was always in early to get his route done.”
Larrabee said she had helped Goodell with his route in the early morning hours before the fire. They got home around 4 a.m. and went to sleep on the first floor, and she woke up hours later because she felt hot. She said she discovered the fire in the nearby living room and ran from the house without her shoes or glasses to get help. First responders took her to the hospital, where she said she was treated for burns on her nose and arms. Larrabee said this week that she was not experiencing lasting physical pain from her injuries.
The Portland Fire Department responded to the single-family home at 107 Broadway around 8:15 a.m. that day. Chief Keith Gautreau said most of the first floor of the building was consumed with flames. They found Larrabee on the front lawn with injuries, but an initial search inside the building was called off because of heavy smoke and fire conditions. Once the firefighters brought the blaze under control, they conducted a secondary search and found Goodell on the first floor.
Gautreau said Friday that the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office is in charge of determining the cause and origin of the fire. Shannon Moss, a spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, deferred comment to the Portland Police Department. David Singer, the police spokesman, said he did not have any update on the fire.
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