Obituary of Thomas Goodrich

Thomas M. Goodrich Glenville Tom Goodrich passed away suddenly Thursday, January 2nd. He was 59. He was predeceased by his father, Raymond Goodrich; mother, Dawn Casler; stepfather, Warren Casler; father-in-law, John Madison; uncle, Thomas Race Goodrich; and cousin, Mark Goodrich. He is survived by his wife, Joyce Madison Goodrich, whom he met in 1979; son, Zachary Goodrich; daughter, Amber Goodrich; mother-in-law, Alice Clark; Father-in-law Harry Clark; sister, Candace Ross; brother-in-law, Mark Ross; niece, Sabrina Smith; and cousins, Greg, Joanne, David, Kaela, and Stacey Goodrich. Tom graduated from Fort Plain High School in 1972. He attended Hudson Valley Community College and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering. He was employed by General Electric in 1976 and transferred to Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in 1976 where he worked at the Kesselring site in West Milton, NY. He eventually moved to KAPL in Niskayuna where he was employed at the time of his death. Tom was a dedicated husband and father. He loved his children very much and based his life around planning for their future and thinking of their needs. He was always one step ahead and prepared for anything. He was the president of the Burnt Hills Track & Cross Country Booster Club while his son was in high school. He never missed one of his son's meets or daughter's soccer and lacrosse games. Tom will be remembered by his family for his value in simplicity and thrift. He learned how to fix anything he owned and passed these skills on to his family. Vacations were spent camping or driving to Florida when the family was young. Recently, his most memorable was hiking the 33 mile Chilkoot Trail from the Alaskan Coast over mountains to the boreal interior Yukon territories. In his younger years, Tom enjoyed the stock car races at Fonda and Malta. He tagged along with his Uncle Race to as many races as he could get to. He most likely knew every driver at the time. Tom was a simple man and was happy just being home with his family and did not need all the fanfare. He could be found reading the Schenectady Gazette in the family room every evening with the family cat Jingles right by his side. Tom's favorite pastimes were watching Yankees baseball and Syracuse basketball, his favorite team sports. Tom will be remembered by many friends at work and members of the Glenville community for his social nature and commitment to health while working out at the Glenville Parkside YMCA. Working out became a solid commitment and routine after work each evening and many would comment on how Tom was not a dawdler and would be seen sweating and working hard on the elliptical and other machines for a full two hours each evening. Two of Tom's most chereised values were commitment and perseverance. These unwavering qualities were exemplary of how Tom lived all of his life, and over the past ten years, helped him dramatically improve his health. Tom had a sharp memory and was the go-to person for any question about a person, place, or event that had happened any time in his past, especially the history of the Mohawak Valley and his hometown, Fort Plain. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 8th at 9 a.m. at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Saratoga Rd., Glenville with Rev. Jerome Gingras officiating. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend and may also call at the Glenville Funeral Home, 9 Glenridge Rd., East Glenville, NY Tuesday (January 7) from 4 to 8 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made in Tom's name to the church or to APF, 52 Maple Avenue, Scotia, NY 12302.