Sumner Mourns Former Mayor & Council Member Leroy Goff

SUMNER, WA — The City of Sumner has announced the death of Leroy Goff, a longtime member of the City Council who also briefly served as the city's mayor.

According to a memorial posted by the city, Goff passed away on Oct. 11. Goff first moved to Sumner in the 1920s and, barring his time in the Navy during World War II, he remained loyal to the city, working a variety of jobs in town — from driving an ambulance to working at a fruit cannery.

Goff served on the Sumner City Council for nearly 30 years, starting in 1985 and ending when he chose not to seek re-election in 2011, the Courier Herald reports. Goff also served as the sitting Mayor of Sumner from 1992 to 1994.

The City says he will be remembered as a forward-thinking leader with a keen insight and wicked sense of humor, who often could be spotted by neighbors riding around town on his bicycle, and wearing his iconic "Mr. Sumner" jacket.

"Perhaps because he had seen it all, Leroy was one of the most progressive councilmembers, not fearing change but using it to shape a bright future for Sumner," the city writes. "He never lost an opportunity to honor members of the military or to stop and talk to everyone. He would hang cornstalks in fall, lights in winter and never miss an opportunity to ride (or drive) the Kenworth engine in a parade."

>> Read more about Leroy Goff and his decades of public service from the City of Sumner.