Patricia Good, violinist and Minneapolis school psychologist, dies at 87

As a psychologist for Minneapolis Public Schools for 35 years, Patricia Good touched many young lives.

For junior and senior high school students needing help, Good was there in the background, screening for learning disabilities, anxiety or depression, for example, and recommending services, said her daughter Leslie Norton, a doctor in New Brighton.

Good co-authored a guide to the widely used assessment tool, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), called "A Practical Guide to the MMPI: An Introduction for Psychologists, Physicians, Social Workers and Other Professionals."

She died June 2 from a heart condition, following rehabilitation from a fall. She was 87.

Good was born Patricia King-Ellison in St. Paul in 1933, the oldest of two children. Her father was a technician for WCCO in Arden Hills. Her mother worked as a secretary and seamstress and took many night classes in a range of subjects, including psychology. They lived in St. Paul and North St. Paul, but moved to Columbia Heights when Good was 14.

That year, she met Gary Good at a youth group at Community United Methodist Church in Columbia Heights. The couple went on to attend the University of Minnesota together. Patricia got her Ph.D. in psychology; Gary became a family physician.

They hung out at the Phi Rho Sigma Medical Fraternity, which had a lively social scene and a good chef from Ukraine, Norton said.

It was a home full of music and activity.

"At one point we had three pianos," Norton said. "We all did piano lessons."

Both Patricia and Gary Good sang in choirs. Gary danced with the Andahazy Ballet Co. for many years. Patricia Good had a lifelong passion for classical music and the violin and played second violin for decades with the St. Anthony Civic Orchestra.

She was an "excellent violinist" and a very active member of the close-knit group, said conductor Carol Jensen, helping with fundraising and even hosting concerts in her backyard. When a shoulder injury forced her to stop playing, Good still showed up for concerts, Jensen said.

When Good wasn't playing music, she would be playing tennis, golfing or doing needlepoint, her daughters said. Every year their parents' golf group would take a trip somewhere in Minnesota to golf for a weekend.

"We'd have to hold tarps below," Norton said.

Daughter Sherry Rogers, an IT professional in Eagan, said her mother taught them all to garden and was particularly fond of green beans and peas. She said she has fond memories of grilling hamburgers and hot dogs and eating on the patio.

Gary Good died in March. Patricia Good's brother, Tom, died two weeks ago, family said.

Good is survived by daughters Sherry; Leslie; Amy Good, of Bloomington; and Sarah Good, of St. Paul; and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. June 12 at the Washburn-McReavy Hillside Chapel in Minneapolis, with visitation starting at 9 a.m.