Richard Goodine in a family photo

Richard Goodine, a certified public accountant and longtime comptroller at Port Harbor Marine, died Saturday after a four-year fight with dementia. He was 75.

Mr. Goodine was remembered by his family on Wednesday as a kind, quiet and strong man who loved his family and community.

He rose above hardships in his youth and went on to create a successful life for himself. As a young boy, he lived in an unheated attic in Canada until his family moving to Rumford when he was 8. He was one of seven children. The family lived in a one-car garage during one winter and slept in snowsuits. He shared a mattress with his siblings.

“They had an electric burner for both cooking and heat that winter,” his daughter Jennifer Goodine said in a eulogy. “My grandmother would bust the ice out of the toilet in the mornings with a broom handle. My dad didn’t say much about living there, but I know it had a huge impact on him.”

The experience helped shape his life. Mr. Goodine was a 1962 graduate of Portland High School, making him the first in his family to graduate from high school. He studied accounting at Northeastern Business College.

Mr. Goodine became a U.S. citizen prior to starting his career as a CPA. He was a partner at the accounting firms of Joe Stillman; Filler, Goodine and Howe; and Goodine and Mcafee.
Retirement was short-lived. He became the comptroller at Port Harbor Marine, where he worked for about a decade.

“He was a go-getter,” his daughter said. “He was extremely determined to become successful. … I admired him so much. My dad could do anything. He was a bootstrap guy. He’s always been able to figure out a problem and make everything better for everybody else.”

Though work was an important part of his life, nothing topped his love for family. He was a loving husband to Irene Goodine for 55 years. The couple lived in the Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood in South Portland, where they raised four children.

His daughter said he was a great father, who always made time for them. In addition to his wife and Jennifer Goodine, he also is survived by two other daughters, Beth Goodine and Sara Goodine Richardson, and a son, Daryl Goodine.

“We would play basketball in the driveway, kickball and play at the lake,” Jennifer Goodine recalled, laughing. “He would make these weird inventions. I believe we were the first people to go tubing behind a boat. He got one of those yellow rubber boats from the 1970s. He had a little silver boat with an outboard motor. He thought it would be fun to go cruising along Tricky Pond. Oh, my gosh. … No one was watching us. The front of the boat ripped off. My brother and I were fighting for our lives … trying to get some air. We had life jackets on, we did. The boat wrapped around our legs.”

His daughter shared another story about their adventures in knee-boarding.

“He was a young father and would make do,” she said. “He used a piece of plywood and staple-gunned some burlap rope material to it. We got pulled around on that. He was great. We used to have a lot of fun with him.”

One of the family’s fondest memories came each year at Christmas. Mr. Goodine was a dedicated member of the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth. He often worked at the annual Christmas tree sale at Mill Creek Park in South Portland. Jennifer Goodine said he was proud of his involvement with the Rotary Club and Jaycees.

“He was always bettering himself,” she said, noting she and her siblings often went to Mill Creek with him during the holidays. “We loved it. We would bring our homework. He would make us hot chocolate and we sat in the camper. We could walk around and smell the Christmas trees. The music was playing. It was a really nice time.”

Mr. Goodine was an avid golfer and a member at Purpoodock Club, where he was known as Dickie Dark Shoes. He enjoyed playing cards, cribbage and dancing, especially taking disco lessons with his wife in the 70s. He had a camp on Crescent Lake that he worked on tirelessly for his family to enjoy.

About four years ago, Mr. Goodine began showing signs of dementia. Jennifer Goodine said she lived with her parents for 10 months to help care for him.

“It was so hard,” she said, breaking down in tears. “I wish we were still in the battle. I know that it’s selfish. I just love my dad.”