Dennis Lee “Bud” Goins, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on November 24, 2025, in Charleston, West Virginia, at the age of 86.  Born in Freeman, West Virginia, and raised in Bramwell, WV, Bud’s early years were marked by a love of learning and athletics. He attended West Virginia University, where he studied Petroleum Engineering and was a proud member of both the WVU Track Team and the Cross Country Team. Bud graduated from WVU with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering in 1962.  Upon graduation, he became active in the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, & Petroleum Engineers.

Professionally, Bud was widely respected in the oil and gas industry as a petroleum engineer and entrepreneur.  Upon graduation from WVU, he moved to Texas to start his career with the Gulf Oil Company.  He lived, worked, and raised his family in various towns in the “oil patch” of Texas (Midland, Fort Stockton, Houston, Amarillo, Odessa) and Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Ardmore).  He also drilled oil/gas wells in Indonesia, Kansas, Colorado, West Virginia, and Louisiana.  He had an entrepreneurial spirit, so he ultimately went into business for himself drilling his own wells, as a consultant for companies such as British Petroleum, and as an expert witness in energy-related litigation.  He was respected for both his technical expertise in finding and producing oil and gas, and his business acumen.  He had lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since 1979, where he raised his family and built lifelong relationships in the community. Two and a half years ago, Bud returned with his wife to his native West Virginia to be closer to family, while cherishing his roots and the beauty of the Mountain State.

Bud was a true sports nut.  He was a multi-sport varsity athlete in high school, and ran track and cross-country in college.  He rooted for his beloved WVU Mountaineers, OU Sooners, and Dallas Cowboys.  He also loved the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team—primarily because one of its most beloved players and general managers, Jerry West, was a fellow native West Virginian.  Bud enjoyed playing sports even more than watching them.  He had a true zest for life and was a natural athlete.  He played basketball, baseball, softball, football, and ran track/field in his younger days. He also coached youth basketball. He was an avid skier and loved the slopes of Colorado and West Virginia.  He was a quail, duck, and pheasant hunter.  Later in life, he became an avid golfer and tennis player, and was a longtime member of the Meadowbrook Country Club and the Shadow Mountain Raquet Club in Tulsa.  Bud never passed up the opportunity to play a top-rated golf course.

Sports was not, however, his only interest.  Bud was an avid reader and movie lover.  He had an encyclopedic memory of classic movies and actors. He especially loved Westerns, war movies, mob movies, and thrillers.  He loved to read and learn about history, politics, and business. His favorite sources of information were the Wall Street Journal, the Tulsa Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, and the Daily Oklahoman.  He had a great sense of fashion, was always well-groomed, and was always a snazzy dresser.  He knew how to play just about any game you can think of, including chess, checkers, poker, gin rummy, blackjack (or just about any other card game), craps, and “shoot the moon” (a game played with dominoes).  He loved teaching these games to his family and friends. He was a massive music lover and had an eclectic taste in music, enjoying everything from The Beatles, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, to Bob Dylan, Elvis, Merle Haggard, George Jones, George Strait, Frank Sinatra, and Snoop Dogg.  He was a skilled cook and griller who loved a fine meal, and his family always looked forward to his specialty: his famous made-from-scratch sausage gravy.    Bud had deeply held values and convictions, and although he was politically and socially conservative, he was not intolerant of others’ beliefs. He recognized early on that the ability to hear and manage conflicting views with civility is an important life skill, and he passed this concept on to his children.  Bud didn’t let politics get in the way of personal relationships, and there was nothing he enjoyed more than sitting down with family and/or friends over a good glass of scotch (or bourbon), a good cigar, and a good conversation about the issues of the day.

Bud is survived by his loving wife, Brenda Lynn.  He married Brenda on June 3, 1964, at the First Presbyterian Church in Morgantown, WV, beginning a partnership that would last a lifetime. Together, they raised two children: Jace Harrison Goins and Page Elizabeth Gajan. Bud’s legacy continues through his family. Jace, married to Laura Goins, blessed Bud with grandchildren Emily Claire Swingle and Lanham Goins. Page, married to Jason Gajan, blessed Bud with grandchildren West Gajan and Peyton Deschamps Gajan. Peyton, married to Brice Deschamps, brought Bud the joy of a great-grandson, Barrett Harrison Deschamps Gajan.  Bud is also survived by his younger brother, Larry Goins.  He is predeceased by his parents, Kenneth and Katherine; his sister Jackie, and his sister Martha Ann.  Bud’s commitment to his profession, commitment to his family, intelligence, and sense of humor, touched all who knew him. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all whose lives he enriched.

A celebration of Bud’s life will be held at 3:00 pm on December 4, 2025, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, West Virginia, followed by his interment in the church columbarium. A light reception will be held in the church’s Hunter Hall afterwards.

Snodgrass Funeral Home, South Charleston, is handling the arrangements.