Who Am I?
Hmmm...this could get complicated...or embarassing...or BOTH! We shall give it a try...and start at the beginning...
I am Danny Jon Baumgartner Goff. Born March 14, 1952 to Allyn Carol Goff and Gordon Dee Baumgartner. Born at Garfield Hospital in Monterey Park, California...Came in kicking and screaming at 7 pounds, 6 oz...I am considerably larger than that now!...Contrary to popular opinion...I am of human origin...and here is the proof!:
And here is what I looked like then:
And a few months later:
At around 6 years old:
On my Fathers side...most of our ancestors came from Germany and Switzerland....thus the “Baumgartner” name. The name meaning “Tree Garden” The ones that came here in the 1800s were Mennonite Clergymen and founded a church in Berne, Indiana. I had the privilege of going to Berne and seeing the original church they built and sat in the pews. From that church grew a 1500 member church there in Berne. I met with the pastor there and he showed me through the church library and told me many stories about my Great Great Grandfather and his sons as well as showing me documents and things they had done. That was a lot of fun. In those days, ministers also had to make a living by other means and they were Master Carpenters as their ancestors had been...I could see their skill in the way the church was built. That love for wood has been passed down to My Grandfather (who was also a Master Carpenter..if you have ever been to Knotts Berry Farm in California...He build the train cars and many things there) and my Father as well as me. I have gotten a bit ahead of myself...back to early times...
On my Mothers side there is also a pretty good dose of German from both her Father and Mother and a serious percentage of Scottish clear back to the Wallace Clan (yes, Williams Wallace of Braveheart!) and The Sweeneys. On the same trip I made to Berne, Indiana, I was able to stop in Haigler, Nebraska and find the resting place of my Great Grandfather William Henry Williams and His wife. It is located on a large ranch down in a canyon. The Rancher there has preserved the gravesite. My Grandpa Williams told me about going there as a child and visiting his Grandpa (William) in a sod house there and even visiting maybe 30 years ago he was able to find part of the soddy as well as dishes and artifacts...I enjoyed this very much...it is good to see where you come from...it is who we are...
My parents were very young when they fell in love and like so many others, they were not to stay together. My Mother remarried Roy V Goff when I was about 4 and thus I also proudly bear the name of Goff! At this writing all my ”parents“ are still living!
I had a great childhood...only good memories...My parents took my sister Joye and I on a lot of camping trips and we went to many places following my parents hobby of Archery. Both my Mom and Dad were in the upper classes at tournaments with my Mother beating the National Champion many times over the years at individual meets. We did this for many years. I met my lifelong friend Mike Skinner at the archery range when I was around 7 or so and he is still my best friend...closer than a brother...I cherish this friendship...We lived when I was very young in Baldwin Park, California. I attended Elementary School at Pleasant View School for grades K - 5 then when I was in the 6th grade we moved way out into the country on a 415 acre ranch outside of Beaumont, California on ”Jack Rabbit Trail“...In the mid 60’s my parents added 2 more siblings, Robin and Laurie...this brought our family to 4 kids... I attended the 6th - 8th grade at the Sixth Street School in Beaumont, California then on to Beaumont High School for the 9th grade. For the 10th through the middle of my Senior year of High School I attended a private boarding academy in Escondido, California called San Pasqual Academy...I loved it there...during the middle of my Senior year my sister Laurie became very ill and the doctors told us she would pass away so I came home and finished High School at Beaumont High, graduating there in 1970:
High School Picture
Even though I did not ”officially” graduate from San Pasqual Academy, I have always considered it my High School. I am actively involved in the Alumni Assn there, serving as Vice President and Webmaster at this time. I made many lifelong friends there. Ray Sansonetti, Les Brown, Ted Pernula and many more.
We lived on Jack Rabbit Trail for several years and I grew up hunting, hiking and fishing there. It was a great place to grow up. My Dad was a hunter and we could just step right out our back door and go anywhere we wanted to...I was given my first rifle there and still have it...seemed we always had wild game in our home for meals. Deer, quail, rabbits were everywhere on the ranch. Mike would come out to visit on Friday afternoons and our parents would not see us again till Sunday night...we roamed and camped out on the ranch all weekend...made our own food and everything...it was great!...
I met and married Sherry Watts in 1979 while I was in school at Loma Linda learning Dental Technology and she was in school taking Physical Therapy. She was already an RN at that time. We immediately got pregnant and a beautiful little girl we named Adrienne was born at the Banning Pass Hospital in 1980. We were so happy with her... Sherry’s parents had moved up to Astoria, Oregon and we felt that maybe we should move up there to raise our child. We decided to move up and our son Michael was born in Astoria, Oregon in 1983. We lived in the area for about 4 years then I got a job managing a discount long distance telephone company in Portland then transferred to the main office up in Seattle. I performed the maintenance work and programmed the equipment for the networking of the circuits. Got my first Apple Computer then and have had then ever since. I consider this a serious milestone in my life :-) I seemed to have a natural affinity for technology and have pretty much been involved in service and sales of gear since then. Working with Apple Computer doing service work as well as Hewlett Packard and General Electric. I enjoyed this very much over the years.
We ended up not liking the city life so we moved over to College Place, Washington. and lived there for several years. We became pregnant again in 1988 and unfortunately lost the baby boy at a little over 4 months, just one week short of having to bury him in a legal cemetery. Sherry and I took him to our family cabin near La Grande, Oregon and buried him there. We named him Erik Joseph Goff...We will see him again someday...I am sure of that. This loss really upset our whole family and we took a long vacation to Southern California and decided that we wanted to adopt a child. On the way home we visiting my father Gordon in Carpinteria, California and he had someone working for him who was pregnant and could not keep the child...we were so fortunate to find this child. It is very difficult and expensive to adopt. So in September of 1988 we adopted Marc Jeffery Goff! We met his mother and father at the hospital and have kept in contact with them over the years. His mother passed away about 6 years ago. I can tell you this...I could not tell the difference between my biological kids and the adopted one....I tell people...One of my kids is adopted but I can’t remember which one it is!!! Marc is a joy. Our family was rounded out in 1990 when Derek was born in Walla Walla, Washington! Of all the things I have ever done in my life...being a Father has brought me more joy than anything! I am so proud of my children. And the family just keeps growing as they marry and bring more into the fold. No grandkids yet (hint, hint!) but I am sure that will happen in time as well.
Sherry and I were married for 28 years and we parted our ways in 2006. We are good friends and I respect her so very much and she me...Many, many good years. She is the Mother of my beautiful children and lived with this fellow for that long...she has got to be an Angel of some type!
I move down to the Palm Springs, California area after divorcing and like it there so much. I am a California boy and I feel at home now. Life is so Good!!! Full of so many wonderful things. I cherish my friends. God is so good and I have become so close to Him in the last few years. Rascal & I can’t wait to see what the NEXT 50 years brings!