We are incredibly saddened, and our hearts are shattered as the Goodhart family announces the sudden loss of our beloved Dave at age 60. Husband, father, son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many grieving hearts.
Dave is survived by his wife of 35 years Marilou and their children; Matthew, Jillian (Matt), Jennifer (Maile) and Thomas (Ashley); his father Joseph and mother Lydia; his siblings Karen (Andrew), Philip, Fiona (Warren) and Andrew (Nadia); his father-in-law Don and mother-in-law Jennie; his sister-in-law Katie; his brother-in-law Donald (Laurie), many nieces and nephews and a great-niece and nephew.
Dave was born in Newcastle, On-Tyne, England, on Sept. 17, 1963, and immigrated with his parents and siblings at the age of five to Fort Ontario before moving to Edmonton at age eight. Upon graduating with his medical degree from the University of Alberta, Dave and Marilou moved to Ohio to finish his postgraduate studies in internal medicine and cardiology training. Four years were spent in Hamilton, Ont., at McMaster University. In 2001, Dave and Marilou moved their four children across Canada to settle in Calgary where David continued the remainder of his illustrious career as a well-respected and sought-after interventional cardiologist. He was always looking to improve the delivery of cardiology. He particularly relished the most difficult cases, often trying new techniques. His colleagues would bring tough cases to Dave for guidance or completion. If there was a positive outcome to be had, he found a way. People from Ontario, Alberta and southeastern B.C. had their quality of life improved or their lives saved because of Dave; the list is in the tens of thousands. Dave had a passion for teaching the next generation of doctors. He was honoured to be teacher of the year. He could tell which trainees should be guided to place a stent after two weeks, and which ones should be gently directed to other specialties. Dave’s colleagues will remember him as a mentor, a collaborator and a friend. Patients were grateful for his ability to provide comfort and reassurance during challenging times. He was always calm in the cath lab; he said this allowed him to get the very best from each member of his team. His impact on the medical community and the lives he touched will be remembered for years to come.
Dave was a larger-than-life personality and lived life to the fullest. He was the life of any party and cherished the company of family and friends. The family cabin (“Rivendell”) at Baynes Lake, B.C., was a source of passion and a place of rejuvenation. Anyone was welcome to his home away from home, so long as they were willing to partake in vibrant conversation, home-made smoked brisket and music. Dave was generous to a fault and would give anyone the shirt off his back. Dave felt privileged to provide advice and navigation of the healthcare system to anyone who asked. He took great pride in his ability to make every patient feel heard, respected, and well looked after.
Dave was an avid sports fan. He played many sports in his youth such as soccer, hockey and tennis. As an adult he took up biking, he biked to the hospital for years. He so enjoyed exploring trails in the Kootenays of B.C. on one of his many bikes. He played as much golf as his schedule would allow. He also loved watching sports; especially his beloved Oilers, Newcastle United, Blue Jays and all of the Cleveland teams. His love of sports was quickly passed onto his four kids, ultimately resulting in many rushed drives across Calgary to get one kid to the hockey arena and another to the basketball court. Dave loved to cook and be in the kitchen with Marilou at his side as his sous chef. He was a BBQ guy and a Big Green Egg smoker guy. The music would flow, and you would hear the 100 songs that landed in his “top five greatest songs ever made” list. It was a great personal loss as Dave had to give up all of these activities he enjoyed so much.
Dave had many friends from high school, university, Baynes Lake and everywhere else Dave and Marilou lived. Dave was never happier than when he was surrounded by his family and friends. He was proud of his children and bragged about their accomplishments. He had many nieces and nephews and enjoyed sharing stories with them and particularly long jokes. Dave loved time spent around the fire at Baynes and never let the facts get in the way of a good story, and the stories got better as the night became longer.
The whole community knew when Dave was at his favourite vacation spot when faint sounds of Bruce Springsteen’s greatest hits echoed around the lake into the late hours of the night.