Carl E. Goetzinger, Jr. - Obituary

n October 20th, 2022, Carl Ernest Goetzinger, Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep after a recent bout with COVID-19. He is now in Heaven with the only woman he ever loved, his wife of 56 years, Judy Goetzinger, who passed away in July of 2020. Carl was a quiet man of few words who never had an unkind word spoken of him. All who met him saw him as the “gentle giant” he always was. Carl was an extremely thoughtful and considerate man, always thinking of his family before his own needs or wants and often going without to assure his family had all they could ever need. His kindness extended to all who knew him, including his coworkers and friends he met at the gym. As was well known, Carl was always focused on his fitness and rarely went a day without lifting his beloved weights either at home while watching sports or at Edgewater Fitness as recently as the day before his passing. Away from work, Carl was a lifelong sports junkie with baseball always being his first and truest passion. This was closely followed by his passion for the Washington Redskins, no matter how well or poorly they played. His dining room is adorned with Redskins pictures and trinkets, which were an often and easy “go-to” gift for a man who was notoriously hard to shop for! When it wasn’t sports occupying Carl’s time, it was often something associated with his children, grandsons, or his wife, Judy. Carl and Judy traveled often to places such as Ocean City, Myrtle Beach, and went on various cruises. One of their most famous and enjoyable trips was a cross-country family adventure in a rented RV with the entire family, including grandmothers on both sides of the family. A great time was had by all, despite painfully slow mountain climbs in a tragically slow RV and having to walk nearly half a mile across a farm with his son when the RV broke down in the middle of Nowhere, America. Regardless, Carl always cherished his time with family no matter what was on the itinerary. Carl’s love for his family is highlighted by his love for his wife. He mourned her loss but celebrated her life in numerous ways. He spent hours tending to the yard, for it was one of Judy’s passions. He shared meals with his family, one of “mom’s favorite activities”. He never took off his wedding ring as Judy was his beloved wife, forever. On Carl’s final day, he enjoyed the simple pleasures that were a hallmark of his character. Before laying down for his forever sleep, he enjoyed a bowl of dark chocolate ice cream with a chocolate shell covered in Hershey’s chocolate syrup and whipped cream, one of his favorites. He watched baseball and had his dogs, Wilson and Zoey, beside him. Carl’s final hours were happy and fulfilled. He will be missed terribly and remembered with love, honor, and respect. A fitting end for a wonderful son, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Carl is survived by two children, Greg Goetzinger and Allison Lazaro; and two grandchildren, Chase Linger and Remy Lazaro. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Carl’s life on Saturday, October 29th from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD. Online condolences may be made by using the Memories tab on this page.