John Goodman, who built the Chaska-based company his father started into a leading developer of senior living communities, died Sunday after a heart attack.
Goodman, 66, designed senior homes that emphasized well-being and individual empowerment for the people who lived in them. The Goodman Group developed fitness programs, nutrition services that used locally sourced foods and education offerings for its residents at 33 senior living and healthcare properties in eight states. Five are in Minnesota.
Goodman "reset the standard of senior care and living," said Craig Edinger, chief operating officer and executive in charge of the Goodman Group.
The firm's newest community, Villa at Terracina Grand in Naples, Fla., was built for people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The center was built on Goodman's belief that nature has healing power. Residents unable to visit the outdoor gardens can experience an indoor multisensory nature immersion room with living plant walls, fiber-optic star lights shining at night, and aromatherapy.
"John believed in providing an environment to support a human being's optimal well-being," said Robyn Johnson, director of strategic initiatives at Goodman Group.
"He believed that music plays an important role in unlocking memories," Johnson said, so he added 3-D paintings of famous musicians and singers such as Judy Garland and Bing Crosby and their recordings.
Steve Schussler, founder of Rainforest Cafe and a longtime friend of Goodman, called him "one of the most influential people in my life."
Schussler recalled the group luncheons that Goodman hosted monthly with 20 to 40 people in Minnetonka. At every event, Goodman would ask people to introduce themselves and answer a question such as "What would you do differently in your life?" or "What inspires you?"
"I devote a lot of my success to the unconditional love he had," Schussler said.
Sen. Norm Coleman, a frequent guest at many of the dinners hosted by Goodman, said that Goodman wasn't motivated by success. "He wanted people to have the best care or the best life," Coleman said. "He thought if he did something right and it made people happy he would make money."
He frequently visited the communities the Goodman Group managed. He knew many residents by name and distributed his business cards so residents could contact him directly.
Goodman's father, Sidney, who died in 2013, founded the Sage Co. in 1965. It was later renamed the Goodman Group.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Temple Israel in Minneapolis followed by a public celebration of his life from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Lafayette Club at Minnetonka Beach.
"We use superlatives in describing things and they lose their meaning, but John had the biggest heart and the most generous soul," Coleman said.
John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633
