William Allen Goodwin

William (Bill) Allen Goodwin, age 87, of Orland Park, Illinois, passed away on Saturday, October 10, 2026. He was born in Peoria to Roy and Hazel Goodwin. Bill was the beloved husband of 63 years to Virginia (nee Faris) Goodwin; fond brother-in-law of Denise (Late George Sr.) Faris; loving uncle to Jennifer (Mark) Basile, George (Autumn) Faris Jr.; great-uncle of Mark Basile, Andrew Basile, Allison Basile, Holly Faris, and Vivian Faris.

Bill was a proud alumnus of Northwestern University where he met Ginny and where he was a member of the university’s marching band. Following their marriage, he furthered his education at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where he earned both his master’s degree and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering. He dedicated his professional career to the field of civilian nuclear power worldwide with Combustion Engineering (C-E)/Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut.

Bill held positions of increasing responsibility at C-E including Executive Assistant to the Chief Scientist, Manager of the Safety Analysis Department, and Director of the Physics Department. In the latter position Bill was responsible for development and application of nuclear reactor physics analysis methods for all C-E nuclear power reactors, collaborations with other reactor designers worldwide, and contracts supporting the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy. Bill was active in the Northeast Section of the American Nuclear Society. He will be remembered for his academic accomplishments and his distinguished career as a nuclear engineer.

In Connecticut, Bill and Ginny enjoyed summers at their lakeside cottage in western Connecticut. Bill was a voracious reader, an avid golfer and boating enthusiast, and the cottage and its surroundings allowed him to enjoy all these pursuits while also entertaining longtime friends from Northwestern and University of Illinois as well as family members. Bill and Ginny enjoyed winters in Sarasota and Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

Following Bill’s retirement, he and Ginny returned to Illinois and settled in Frankfort where their extended family resided. He enjoyed many fun family occasions and numerous rounds of golf at Prestwick Country Club where he and Ginny were members. Bill’s presence, his conversations with family members and his helpful advice will be missed by his loving family.

A visitation will be held at Kurtz Memorial Chapel, 65 Old Frankfort Way, Frankfort, IL on Sunday October 25, 2026, from 11AM until the time of service at 1PM. Interment is Monday, October 26, at Pleasant Hill Cemetery Frankfort, IL.