Willa Celeste Goodson, 13, of Bryson City, N.C., busted the gates of Heaven wide open Friday, March 15, 2024. A native of Haywood County, she was the daughter of Ellen Koch Finger of Bryson City and the late Tony Goodson.
She belonged to the family of the Bryson City Church of God and attended Swain County Middle School.
She was preceded in death by her brother, Dustin Goodson; maternal grandparents, Gardner and Betty Threatt Koch; paternal grandparents, John and Leona Locust Goodson; and two uncles, Steve and Robert Goodson.
In addition to her mother, she is survived by sister Leona Goodson; brother, Daniel Reagan; aunts and uncles, Lane Koch and wife Leeanna, Eric Koch and wife Teresa, Mike Goodson, Patricia Hoyle, Randy Goodson, and Kathy Deaver; special family friends, Michelle Macpherson, and Tammy and Brian Powers.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, March 18 at the Bryson City Church of God. Pastor Marty Pressley will officiate with burial in the Jenkins Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at the church.
Pallbearers will be Matt Parise, Steve Goodson, Kadin Webb, Brian Powers, Sal Gualemi, and Joseph Duggan.
The family would like to offer a special thank you to all her exceptional children’s teachers, classmates, and all her medical professionals through the years.
We are thankful for this special gift from God and for all the lives she touched.
Flowers may be sent, or donations may be made to the Bryson City Church of God’s Children’s Ministry. PO Box 621, Bryson City, NC 28713.