Gary Maurice Goodrich

September Song: 

Oh, it’s a long long while from May to December, but the days grow short when you reach September."

Gary M. Goodrich was born in mid-winter to a loving mother and father, Eldona Thaxton and Porter Merrill Goodrich in Lovell, Wyoming. The fifth of seven children, finances were tight, but life was rich. That all changed on June 21, 1944. On that summer solstice during World War II, the longest day of Gary’s life, Porter died of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The children went to live with different relatives while their mother sought schooling to boost her earning potential. She would, after all, be on her own from that day. With the tremendous loss of security and family, Gary developed an instinct and hunger for the experience of home.

Despite many hardships, Gary thrived in school, learning quickly, making friends, and participating in a full range of activities. As a child, he loved riding bikes. He learned to dissemble, clean, and maintain every part. That was his introduction to engineering. Gary began doing a paper route, riding his bike even during the bitter days of winter when temperatures were so cold that he kept the bike inside at night so that the grease would not congeal. The warmth from home only lasted so long, however, and by the end of his route, pedaling was very hard on those cold, dark mornings. He gave his meager pay to help his mother with expenses.

Gary was a team player in every sense, excelling in baseball, basketball, football, and track. He participated in drama, Boys State, and student government as student body president his senior year. With his athletic success, he had scholarship offers from universities in the mountain west. He elected to play both football and basketball at the University of Utah. During that time, he was falling in love with Joyce Kay Allphin. The hunger for home took on new meaning as he began building a life away from Lovell.

When the autumn weather turns leaves to flame, one hasn’t got time for the waiting game…

On August 20, 1954, Gary and Joyce Kay were sealed in the LDS Idaho Falls Temple. That fall he transferred schooling to Utah State, where he played basketball, continued in ROTC, and obtained a BS degree in Aerospace Engineering. During those years, they started their family, which eventually grew to six children. Gary was commissioned into the Air Force and was stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in the desert of southern California. After reaching the rank of Captain, Gary became a civilian but continued in his employment as an engineer working on airplanes and missiles. A favorite pursuit was researching and designing state-of-the-art rocket propulsion systems. He was, quite literally, a rocket scientist.

The desert may have played a role in Gary developing life-threatening asthma. In hopes of preserving his life, he took a job at Hill Air Force Base, and Gary and Joyce Kay moved their young family to Bountiful, Utah. It took a few years, but the asthma treatments became more effective, and life returned to its more ordinary rhythm. All of the children graduated from Viewmont High School.

Oh the days dwindle down to a precious few, September, November…

Gary was able to take an early retirement. He and Joyce Kay began the next chapter in their lives together, becoming even more involved in their community, serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Temple Square and Peoria, Illinois, and then service missions at the Bountiful Temple, Beehive House, and Conference Center. They realized their dream of traveling together: all areas of the United States, parts of Central America, Europe, Israel, and Egypt. But every year they also returned at least once to Lovell, their first home. The Big Horn Mountains held a special place in their history and in their hearts, especially the Paint Rock Lakes where he taught the children one of his guiding life principles: Leave the campsite better than you found it.

The final place that Gary called home was Farmington, Utah. Living near grandchildren and in a community they knew well, they grew their gardens, enjoyed evenings on the patio with the beautiful mountain view, supported and loved their adult children, grandchildren, and growing number of great-grandchildren, and savored their time together. Their home in Bountiful was on a steep hill, but their Farmington home was on more level ground. At age 87, Gary resumed his lifelong love of riding his bike, and from then until August 5, 2024, at age 90, logged 2,619 miles on his ebike on the trails near home.

These precious days I’ll spend with you…

August 5 was a pivotal day for Gary: After a 10-mile bike ride, he came home and collapsed, having suffered a pulmonary embolism. He had three ambulance rides that day: First to Layton IHC, where the embolism was detected. While being transferred to McKay-Dee Hospital, there was an accident that overturned the second ambulance, and Gary was gravely injured. It was the third ambulance that finally brought him to McKay-Dee, where multiple blood clots were removed, and he began an arduous struggle to recover from his injuries. Life delivered a cruel blow during the following month: They had been eagerly anticipating their 70th anniversary in August of this year. But Joyce Kay contracted COVID and was in quarantine that week. He still found a way to deliver her a dozen yellow roses. Once she recovered, they spent each of his remaining days together. But the damage he suffered was too severe, and the prospects for recovery faded despite medical care and the loving support of his wife, children, and grandchildren. On the morning of September 16, 2024, Gary arose from his bed, took a few steps, and collapsed. His broken body was taken again to McKay-Dee Hospital, where he passed in the presence of his family and the loving arms of his dear Joyce Kay.

Gary generously gave and received love throughout his life. He was an example of kindness and respect for others, contributing to his community, practicing his faith while supporting others in their spiritual journeys, patriotism, and lifelong learning. The rule he taught his children years before while camping was, in retrospect, how he lived his entire life: He left the world better for his having been there.

Gary is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Vernal and Grant Goodrich, sisters Donna Lee Cook and Joan Cannon, and parents-in-law, McKay and Doris Allphin. He is survived by his sweetheart, Joyce Kay; children Maureen Nicholls (Max), Gary Goodrich (Marcia), Karen Beheshti (Michael), Kaye Parrish (Norm), Kathy Anderson (Mark), Michael Goodrich (Patricia). He leaves behind a posterity of 20 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother, Bruce Goodrich, and sister, Gay Child.

Funeral Services will be held at 1pm, Saturday, September 21, 2024 at the Farmington South Stake Center, 695 South 200 East, Utah. A viewing will be held on Friday, September 20th from 6-8pm at Russon Mortuary, 1941 North Main, Farmington, Utah, and on Saturday, September 21st from 11:30-12:30pm at the stake center. Interment, Farmington City Cemetery.

The funeral service will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page (click here) and on this obituary page below, where it will appear 10-15 minutes prior to the funeral service at 1pm. 

A special thank you for the benevolent service of the staff at Pine View Transitional Rehab and the staff at McKay Dee Hospital.