Robert Goodrich, Jr

Robert C. Goodrich, Jr. ("Bob"), died on March 7, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. Bob, the son of Robert C. Goodrich and Mary Blue Lawton Goodrich, was born on June 11,1956, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. In 1961, his family moved to Signal Mountain, Tennessee, where Bob spent his childhood. Bob attended the McCallie School, graduating in 1974. At McCallie, Bob played football and basketball, a starting forward on one of McCallie’s best basketball teams of the twentieth century. He was also a co-founder of the Fellowship of Dylan Freaks, and his passion for Bob Dylan’s music continued throughout his life. After McCallie, Bob attended the University of Virginia, where in the fall of 1974 he met the love of his life, Sally Tanner. At Virginia, Bob became a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity, and his 1978 class has remained close through highs and lows over the past 42 years.After graduating from UVA, Bob taught school and coached for two years, marrying Sally after the first year. He married well, better than he deserved (as his friends often reminded him). In 1980 Bob came to Vanderbilt Law School as an Elliot Cheatham Scholar, graduating in 1983. The law firm Farris, Warfield & Kanaday offered Bob an associate position, which he accepted, starting a 33-year law career with a focus on commercial litigation and insolvency related issues. Over the years Bob was frequently named as one of the Best Lawyers in Nashville, and for over twenty-five consecutive years he was recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America. In 2016, Bob was inducted at the Smithsonian Institution into the American College of Bankruptcy Lawyers.Throughout his life, Bob was a dedicated volunteer. He was very proud of his successful endeavor, along with many others, to establish Parmer Park in Nashville, of his efforts to preserve, protect, and expand Radnor Lake, and of his role as chairperson of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty.In the late 1990s, Bob and Sally joined Second Presbyterian Church in Nashville, and it became a very important part of their lives.Bob is survived by his wife Sally, their son Bobby (Maria Oliver) of High Point, NC, daughter Grace (Treven Sekula) of San Anselmo, CA, and son Christopher of Brooklyn, NY, and two grandchildren, Aria Isabel and Dylan Tomás, all of whom made Bob very proud and brought much joy into his life.He is also survived by his sister Jeanie Goodrich of Roswell, GA, whom he appropriately nick-named “Sister Saint” for her lifelong dedication to the well-being of others.Visitation with the family will take place from 11 to 1 at Second Presbyterian Church, 3511 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN, on Saturday, March 14, 2020, to be followed by a memorial service in celebration of Bob's life and of the Resurrection.Donations in Bob's memory can be made to Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, P.O. Box 120552, Nashville, TN 37212, or to the Ed Farley Interfaith Lecture Series at Second Presbyterian Church, 3511 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN 37215.