Remembering Ron Goodson
Nearly a year has passed since the May 19, 2015, death of Ron “Big Ron” Goodson, but Plant City and Dover residents have made sure that the longtime farmer is anything but forgotten. Goodson was born Aug. 5, 1948, and grew up on his family’s strawberry farm in Dover. His father, E.O. Goodson, started farming when he got out of the United States Army. E.O. would have some of his children stay home from school at a young age to work on the farm. The eldest child, Ron Goodson started driving a tractor by himself at the age of five. By that time, he could already drive a straight line in the field. As he got older, he worked for a short time at the railroad but later decided to farm full-time. Ron began working for Fulwood Farms in Ruskin in 1971, where he met his longtime friend and Fancy Farms grower Carl Grooms. “It was long hours and hard work,” Grooms said. “I was small back then, and needed Big Ron’s muscle power to help me lift heavy equipment. As life went on, we stayed in touch. We had hours of phone conversations solving the problems of the world at that time. When he spoke, you listened, for he was full of knowledge.” Later, Ron moved back to Dover a few years later. He farmed with Roland Dukes and Glenn Williamson, and established Ron Goodson Farms in the late 1980s. “He was a great farmer,” Mark McDonald, of Sweet Life Farms, said. “He took great pride in growing and packing a superior strawberry that looked great and tasted great.” Josh Young, owner at Crop Protection Services of Florida, described Ron as an icon in the farming community. “His faith, integrity and dedication allowed him to continue farming in this ever-changing agricultural industry,” Young said. “Ron believed in hard work, he started nothing that he didn’t finish. He was old school and had very little tolerance for inspectors.” Ron was quick to lend a hand to fellow farmers, friends and anyone in need of support. “Whenever I needed help, Ron was there,” Mike Lott, of Lott Farms, said. “I remember many a freeze night checking the thermometer, feeling the strawberry leaves, checking for frost and calling Ron to see what he was going to do. He had a gift for knowing when was the 52
INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
May 2016
right time to turn the water on.” When Lott was in a car accident in 2009, it was Ron who cut his ditches every day for him without asking for anything in return. “It warms my heart just thinking about all he gave to me and so many,” Lott said. “While we were both farmers, we are also both Christians.” And Ron wasn’t just a helpful farmer -- he was a good one. A really good one. “It might seem silly to say, but I’m convinced he could grow a crop of just about anything, in the middle of a paved road if he wanted to,” Joey Gude, of Brandon Farms, said. “He was a great farmer and even greater friend. I myself have had ups and downs, but during those times his old, black truck would show up in the afternoons ... Big Ron would encourage me and never left a doubt in my mind that he didn’t believe it. He was a man I respected and he deserved it.” Strawberry farms would continue to have special meaning for Ron -- he met his future wife, Debbie, in a strawberry field. The couple’s first date was at the Lakeland Steak n’ Shake, and they went out almost every night after that. The couple was married on Dec. 10, 1971, and spent 43 years together. Ron’s mother, Ida, described Debbie as “an answer to prayer.” Together, the couple had two children: daughter Lamonica and son ‘Russell. In 1992, Ron helped Russell start his own farm. Growing up, Russell remembered wanting to be just like his dad. “He was my hero and best friend,” Russell said. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about him. He taught me so much about farming and being a good Christian man. We loved him so much and miss him deeply. We will always treasure the time we had together. He was the best.” Like her brother, Ron’s daughter, Lamonica, had fond memories of her father throughout her life. He was her protector, and made her feel loved. “I am so blessed to have him as my daddy,” she said. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM