In 1958, the Livock family of five packed everything they owned in two trunks and left England, bound for the United States of America. Their destination – a tiny burg in Southwestern Michigan – Gobles. Now, 58 years later, Carol (Livock) Johnson is the Mayor of Gobles, with roots firmly planted here. 

Carol’s father, Mick Livock, was a World War II veteran who was captured at Dunkirk. He spent seven years as a prisoner of war (POW). That’s where the seed to move to America was planted. Livock became close with another POW, an American pilot. After the war, the American pilot moved to Gobles. The Livocks, including the family dog, soon followed. 

Mick Livock became a maintenance man and a bus driver at the school, eventually retiring from Gobles. Carol, along with her twin sister, Susan, and her brother, Ian, entered Gobles Public Schools in 1960. Carol met her future husband, Dick Johnson, who graduated in 1965 and soon left for Vietnam. Carol graduated in 1967, and when Dick returned that year, they married in December. Dick worked at General Motors until he retired. Retirement didn’t sit well with him, Carol said, so he started working at the school in the maintenance department, where’s he been for the last 10 years. Next year, the couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. 

Carol’s sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Doug Osmun, married the same year, and still call Gobles home. Their brother Ian, is still in town as well. There’s no place their extended family would rather be, Carol said. 
“We were born English, but we became Americans by choice. We chose Gobles.” 

When Carol’s dad passed away 10 years ago, “we didn’t have family here,” Carol said. “We didn’t have cousins or aunts or uncles. But the school and community embraced us. We had our Gobles family,” she said. 

In addition to raising her family here and volunteering at school and in the community, Carol joined the city commission 10 years ago. Her dad and her brother both served on the commission. Carol didn’t think she was commission material, but when the city went through a recall, she knew she wanted to help. Her friend and city clerk Paula Sipes encouraged her to fill a seat. After a year as a commissioner, Carol served as Mayor for two years. After a short break, she came back as a commissioner for three years, and has been Mayor for the last four. 

She is proud of the relationship between the city and the school. “I don’t think one could operate without the other,” she said. “The connection is getting closer and that’s good. (Superintendent) Jeff (Rehlander) comes to meetings and lets us know what’s going on. We talk about things happening in town so he knows. If we weren’t working together, the city would suffer,” Carol said. 

In addition to serving as the Mayor of Gobles, Carol and her sister Susan have run the concession stand for the school district for 10 years. They do the marketing, ordering, cooking, and cleaning, she said. “It’s a lot of hard work,” she said. 

Still known as the Livock twins, she and Susan take on just about anything that is tossed their way. When athletic director Chris Miller calls, Carol said, “I pick up the phone and say, ‘What do you want, Miller?’ He knows I won’t say no,” she said.

For Carol and her extended family, it’s a labor of love. Her daughter, Loriann Harbaugh, graduated from Gobles and is a teacher here. She works the concession stand, too. The grandchildren have all pitched in, and Carol calls on other friends to lend a hand sometimes, too. 
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“These people mean everything to me,” she said. “I’m very dedicated to them and they are very loyal to me. I love walking down the hallway at school and hearing the kids say, ‘Hi, Mrs. Johnson.’ It keeps me going. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Teachers and school staff members are the faces you see every day at Gobles Public Schools. They are part of a larger team of others, including dedicated volunteers, local business owners and willing parents, who work together for the sake of our students. 

Terry Doyle, Gobles Public Schools Board of Education President, is one of those faces in the crowd. He’s chosen to support the district and its students by serving on the Board of Education since 2004. He has been President since 2015. 

The Gobles Public Schools Board of Education is made up of seven community members and is charged with making decisions that are in the best interest of the district and its students. 

“I wanted to be involved in the process,” Doyle said. “As a stakeholder in the community and the school, I wanted to have a vote toward the issues and topics that matter.”

Doyle wanted to be involved in the community that he and his family have called home since 1995. He and his wife, Deb, moved to Gobles from Chicago and have savored small-town living at its best here. 
“What I enjoy most is being part of a group of people who care for their community as much as I do. That is fulfilling,” he said.

In addition to serving on the Board of Education, Doyle is a proud Gobles parent and former coach. He has coached baseball, football, softball, basketball, and soccer. The Doyles have six children: Rachel, Madeleine, Quinn, Collin, Ellen and Joe. They also have one granddaughter, Vivian. 

He is extremely proud of the education provided to the students who attend Gobles Public Schools. 
“From graduating classes of 60-90 students we have produced engineers, doctors, teachers, musicians, lawyers, Air Force and Naval Academy graduates, pastors, and soldiers,” Doyle said. “We produce solid citizens that we can be proud of.”

Doyle’s willingness to serve stems from his passion for the people of his community. 

“I have come to know a variety of people through various volunteering, coaching, and church activities,” he said. “It is the people that I consider friends, neighbors, and teammates who keep me inspired and passionate about this community and our school district.”

Doyle is one of the district’s many ambassadors. He loves how the district is growing with an eye on excellence, he said. “I am excited about the leadership role our small rural district has taken in technology, safety and STEM. Our administration is aggressively moving our district in a direction with our curriculum that is preparing students for the job markets of the future; not just teaching basic skills, but being focused on producing successful and productive citizens of the future,” Doyle said. 

That is the mindset that makes Gobles Public Schools different, and why Doyle serves on the Board of Education. He sees the potential in each Gobles students, and believes the district is doing everything possible to help students achieve excellence. 
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“What I love about Gobles is that if you have the want and the willingness, you can get it done here,” he said.