Darryl Goldsmith, a dedicated BVA stalwart who served the organization and his fellow blinded veterans locally and nationally for more than 30 years, passed away on October 20 after a short illness. The BVA family extends its deepest condolences to his wife, Vernea, daughters Euneek and Teakowa, and the Emerald Coast Regional Group that became such a significant part of his life.
Despite losing most of his sight, Darryl was known to light up the darkness for others who witnessed his unique zest for life. He was an inspiration for his genuine enthusiasm for activities normally reserved for sighted people—scuba diving as a certified diver, guitar playing, deep-sea fishing, rock climbing, Tai Chi, water skiing, downhill skiing, turkey hunting, and the sharing of life skills with his fellow veterans—to name only a few. At one point in his scuba training, Darryl was allowed to dive into the Georgia Aquarium with the whale sharks, giant manta rays, and tiger sharks. He was on the Discovery Channel with the Wounded Warrior Project as one of only a few blind certified scuba divers in the world.
Darryl did all this owing to an adventuresome spirit and a constant drive to engage in new pursuits that required a modest bit of risk-taking but which paid great dividends in eliminating all possibility of boredom.
Darryl joined the U.S. Marine Corps following his graduation from high school in Canton, Michigan, in 1979. He experienced eye and other injuries due to equipment failure during nuclear, biological, and chemical training soon after enlisting. After his discharge, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service until his declining vision made further employment impossible.
Discouraged and having lost what he believed to be a loss of everything at the time, Darryl attended a Michigan Commission of the Blind rehabilitation program, where he attended sports camps and learned about VA benefits. Soon after, he attended the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center (CBRC) at Hines and has been an adaptive sports and recreation enthusiast ever since. He has also been a strong advocate for the blind and visually impaired, serving in numerous regional group leadership and volunteer positions for BVA in both Michigan and Florida. He was the impetus behind the establishment of both the Michigan Regional Group and the BVA volunteer office at the Detroit VA Medical Center.
When Darryl felt strongly about an issue, he did not hesitate to act, and he did so in his own unique way. Shortly after attending the CBRC, he began participating in sports camps sponsored by Christian organizations in Michigan, Canada, Texas, and Hawaii. He won the Southern Regional Disabled Water- Skiing Championship in 1995 and the Most Promising National Disabled Water Skier in 1996. Upon landing in Hawaii the first time, he found out that he would not be permitted to take his guide dog with him everywhere due to an animal quarantine that he believed clearly violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. He challenged the quarantine and was locked up with his dog and 2,100 other animals. As a result of this experience, he became a Department of Justice witness to then Attorney General Janet Reno to influence a change in the Hawaii state law in question.
Darryl was a national volunteer BVA Veteran Service Officer at both the VA Gulf Coast Blind Rehabilitation Center and the Pensacola VA Outpatient Clinic. He held monthly group meetings to encourage newly blinded veterans to stay away from the depression that he had once experienced and to realize that there is life after blindness. He attended the Pensacola Live Church and sang on the congregation’s praise and worship team.
