Adele Louise Droste Good

GOOD, Adele Louise Droste, age 88, of Oakwood, passed away on Monday, September 5, 2022.

Adele Louise Droste was born to Edward and Roberta Droste on January 18, 1934 in St Louis, MO. She was a graduate of Northwestern University where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority and earned her bachelor’s degree in music. While a student she met her first husband James Hugh Cunningham. They were married in 1953 and settled in Lake Forest, IL to raise their three children John, James (Jim) and Anne. A “professional volunteer”, Adele dedicated her life to promoting art and culture.

In 1973 she married Richard T. (Dick) Good and relocated to Dayton, Ohio. As quoted in the Dayton Journal Herald in 1979, when she chaired the Dayton Art Institute Art Ball, “you should give something back to the place you live. When you move into a city, you don’t grow to love it until you give to it,” and that is precisely what she did. In addition to serving on the DAI Associate Board, Adele was President of the Friends of Dayton Ballet, and also served on the Dayton Ballet Board of Trustees. She shared her vocal gifts as the senior soprano soloist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for 38 years, served on the Vestry and designed altar flower arrangements. An accomplished gardener and floral designer, she was a member of the Garden Club of Dayton for nearly 50 years, serving as president from 1988-90. With her floral design business, Adele’s Goods, she created stunning arrangements for events and weddings. She exercised her acting talents portraying Clara Barton in over 50 presentations as an outreach for the American Red Cross. To those in her neighborhood, Halloween won’t be quite the same without the “Good Witch”. The many handmade Christmas ornaments given each year to family and friends are treasures. In later years, she enjoyed presenting papers at the Friday Afternoon Club, wrapping gifts at the Little Exchange, emceeing at the Pi Beta Phi Floral Fantasy, writing poetry, reading, crossword puzzles, and sharing her love of the arts with her grandchildren.

Adele is survived by her three children, John Cunningham, Jim (Dana) Cunningham and Anne (Peter) Davis, grandchildren Sarah, Jack, Jamie, Colin, Benjamin and Adele, her brother Carl, sister-in-law Anne, their three children, Carl, Jr., Karen and Mark, cousin Janet Wynne and many dear friends.

The family also thanks the wonderful care givers from Touching Hearts at Home, as well as Beth Powell, along with Grace Works at Home and Hospice of Dayton nurses for their kindness and devotion.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Paul’s Episcopal Church or The Good Scholarship through The Dayton Foundation for the Dayton Ballet School. Please scroll down the page to see the website links available to click on. The scholarship will provide dancers in the DBII pre-professional program with tuition scholarships, as well as covering the cost of dancer necessities such as pointe shoes.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held Friday, September 23 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 33 W. Dixon Avenue, Oakwood.