Fulton County Deputy Coroner Jon Good stands next to the Fulton County Coroner’s Office’s van. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — Jon Good said his role as Fulton County deputy coroner helps others.

“It’s rewarding to the standpoint that you are helping people and you’re giving the deceased a voice because you basically do the who, what, where, when, why and how of a person’s death,” he said. “You’re helping the families that are surviving because they want to know what happened to this person and how did it happen? There’s always questions about that.”

Good of Rochester serves as deputy coroner under his sister, Jeri Good. Previously, he was deputy coroner under his father and mother, J.D. and Joyce Good, and coroner himself for 11 years.

He’s also had a 40-year career with his family’s Rochester funeral home, now known as Good Family Funeral Home, working presently as funeral director, embalmer and reconstructive artist.

Jon originally hadn’t planned on entering the family business, however.

After graduating from Rochester High School in 1977, where he ran cross-country and was on the first-ever boys swim team, he went to then Manchester College. Jon graduated from there in 1981, getting his degree in secondary education.

He wanted to be a biology teacher, but after student-teaching his senior year, he opted to change his career trajectory.

“By the time I had gone through the four years of college, the kids had changed so much, and the parental support wasn’t there, so I decided if I’m going to teach, I’m going to go on to a collegiate level or something like that,” said Jon. “I never did do that because my father said, ‘Well, as long as you’re not going to be in a teaching field, you might as well help out here around the funeral home. We can use you.’”

“So, I worked for him a year and then I went to mortuary school,” said Jon. “It was kind of like secondhand to me because I had been probably working in and out of the prep room and helping since I was probably 14, 15 years old.”

Good was the valedictorian of the 1983 Mid-America College of Funeral Service. He’s continued to learn through required educational hours as deputy coroner.

Jeri vouched he goes above and beyond in continuing education.

“Last year, I believe he had probably 56 hours that he took because he did some extensive training in Indianapolis,” she said.

Jeri called her brother “compassionate and caring” in working with families as deputy coroner and through the funeral home.

“He empathizes with them and really has been there to help them,” she said.

Good has two children, with his daughter, Corinna, working to become a nurse practitioner and daughter, Cassidy, studying premed.