Esther Louise Hertz Gooding

Esther Louise Hertz Gooding passed away in the early hours of Sunday, February 8, 2026 surrounded by her family.

Esther was born to Harold and Helen Hertz on July 27, 1941, which according to Helen was the hottest day of the year. She graduated from George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and later worked as a dental assistant. After marrying Robert Gooding, they moved from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines and then later to Hartford to raise their family. Esther found joy in being a daycare provider and eventually running her own in-home daycare. In the 80’s she chose to begin a career outside the home, working as a bank teller in Des Moines. She quickly moved into the position of loan officer working in branches in both Des Moines and Carlisle. When most of her colleagues were thinking of retirement, she chose to make another career change by moving into a payroll/office manager role at a family farm operation. She later took a position with Rasko Construction in Indianola where she worked until the age of 80 when she finally decided to give retirement a try. Unfortunately, it was also at this point when her journey with Alzheimer’s became more apparent to her loved ones and friends. Esther moved to The Village in Indianola in September of 2022 where she remained until her passing.

Esther moved from Hartford to Carlisle in 1992. This was a move marked by renewed independence and a love for making her 1900’s Victorian house her dream home. She loved the character and enjoyed working in the expansive gardens surrounding the wrap around front porch. Her home quickly became the hub for family gatherings. Throughout the years, Esther hosted many pre-game dinners on Football Friday nights, post parade 4th of July lunches, and Christmas and New Years Eve dinners. Esther loved sitting on her front porch on Beggars Night dressed in her witch’s hat and cape handing out candy and the infamous boxes of raisins which her children and grandchildren loved to tease her about. In response to the ribbing, Esther would emphatically announce that many children loved raisins and she would count how many kids chose the raisins over the candy. During her years living in Carlisle, she enjoyed the town’s 4th of July activities. She served on the committee for many years with the highlight being the contact/organizer for the Bill Riley talent show. Esther had a wide variety of interests including gardening, bowling, reading, and knitting. She also enjoyed watching Iowa Hawkeye football and Nascar races. She enjoyed going to the Knoxville Nationals and volunteering to crew during the Hot Air Balloon Classic. She also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was very creative and came up with many activities/crafts for them to do together. You could always count on Esther to be at her grandchildren’s activities. She loved supporting them and found joy attending their sporting events, band/choir concerts, dance recitals, 4H activities, etc.

Left to treasure Esther’s memory are her two daughters Krysta (Kyle) Wyckoff and Kerri (Travis) Warren. Her five grandchildren Daniel (Nicki) Wyckoff, Justin Wyckoff, Elisha (Bradley) Cunningham, Abby (Brett) Herring and Hunter (Macey) Warren. Her seven great grandchildren Isabelle, Carsen and Aubrey Wyckoff, Hayden, Parker and Joey Herring and Maddox Cunningham.

Visitation will be held on Monday, February 16, 2026 between 5 and 7pm at Hamilton’s Southtown located at 5400 SW 9th in Des Moines. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, February 17 at 10am at Southtown Pentecostal Assembly located at 510 E Rose Ave, Des Moines. Burial will follow at Harford Cemetery with a light lunch being served back at the church.

Memorials may be made to the family so they can be distributed to organizations close to Esther’s heart.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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