Irene "Sonny" Gooden

Irene Teresa Sonny Gooden, "Auntie Sonny", 68, of Fort Collins, died December 27, 2019.

Sonny was born June 13, 1951 in Brooklyn, NY to parents John and Margaret Gooden. She grew up as a wild child in the big city, but always loved and put her family first. She attended Hofstra University in Long Island, studying forensic and evidence photography.

Sonny took great pride in her home state of New York and collected Statues of Liberty – plastic ones, metal ones, on coins, photographs, even a snow globe. If she heard someone speak with a New York accent, she would stop on the spot and strike up a conversation with a stranger. They shared information about where to get a decent NY style pizza or hoagie, how to understand our Colorado accents, and express frustration with sluggish Colorado drivers. She sometimes excused her colorful language and take-no-crap brashness saying "I'm from New York" ....and we all nodded our heads in understanding.

Sonny was a natural caregiver. She cared for an individual with Autism in her home. She was 26 years sober and she ran many N.A. groups including the meeting at the Larimer County jail. In her time as a counselor, she devoted herself to "her girls". Even in retirement, she was occasionally contacted by "her girls" to update her on their lives or ask advice. She also volunteered at Red Cross.

Sonny worked at Anheuser Busch for many years and was a Teamster. One of her many talents was photography and she earned many awards for her photos from different places. She enjoyed spending time with her family, spoiling kids and cheering on the Denver Broncos. She loved her friends, Taylor Hicks, the color purple and PRINCE! Sonny was a devout Roman Catholic and Trump supporter who loved her cigarettes.

Sonny's sense of humor was second to none – she was always able to give anyone a good belly laugh. Her favorite word was the F-word. She liked to drive fast and listen to loud music. Her famous saying was, "You can do whatever you want at Aunt Sonny's house!" She loved to cook and her world-famous cheesecake was to die for!

Sonny was a force to contend with and her loved ones are all glad that she was fiercely on our side. She loved the snow. Every year she hosted a children-only Christmas party for all of her nieces and nephews. She did it all – planned activities, prepared food, and gave gifts. Sonny was the only adult in attendance and her objective was to make each child feel loved and important.

Sonny is survived by her nephew Scot and his wife Heather Randolph; grand-nieces and nephews Destiny Cobb, Scot Randolph, Bailey Caputo, Kaleo Cobb, Kalani Cobb, Aiden Stessen, and Addison Randolph. Her close friends include Larry Brown, Rick Jones, Phil Pfeffer, Margaret Day, Laurie Heckman, Yvonne Parshall, Keili Henderson, and Britni Montoya to name a few. She also left behind her cat Rain Girl. She was preceded in death by her beloved brothers, Wayne, John, Daniel and William, as well as her parents. Her cats ToTo and Phantom Kitty died many years ago and she missed them dearly, as well as her bulldog Zena.

A service/celebration of life will be held January 19th from noon to 2:00 p.m. at her house, 2021 Remington St. Unit C1, Fort Collins. Sonny's Estate Sale will be January 24 and 25 at her home in Ft. Collins. It will be advertised on Caring Estate Liquidators Facebook page as well as CaringEstateLiquidators.com as early as the week of January 14, 2020. A silent auction and fundraiser is also in the works. Please call her nephew Scot at 970-393-3833 for location, date, time and where to donate/contribute to fundraiser.