He’ll be remembered Wednesday at Loch Willow Presbyterian Church in Churchville, Virginia
by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service
The Rev. Dr. John Goodman
LOUISVILLE — The Rev. Dr. John Robert Goodman, a pastor and mid council executive appreciated and respected for his polity knowledge proffered at the many General Assemblies he served as a volunteer, died Aug. 8 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was 81.
Goodman’s service is set for 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at Loch Willow Presbyterian Church in Churchville, Virginia. The Rev. Reed Hopkins and the Rev. April Cranford will officiate. Burial will follow in Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia. The family will receive friends at Loch Willow Presbyterian Church prior to the service, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Born November 28, 1941, in Laurinburg, North Carolina, Goodman was a son of the Rev. Frank LeRoy Goodman and Edna Earle (Walton) Goodman. He was a graduate of Churchville (Virginia) High School while his father served as minister of Loch Willow Presbyterian Church.
According to his obituary, Goodman served in the U. S. Army as a first lieutenant in the Adjutant General Corps in Ft. Johnson, Louisiana.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Davidson College, Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary.
He was the pastor of Spring Hill Presbyterian Church in Staunton, Virginia, while also serving summers as junior camp director at the Massanetta Springs Camp & Conference Center in Harrisonburg. He was associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and pastor of Lydia Robson Presbyterian Church in Charleston, West Virginia, before serving as associate executive presbyter for the Presbytery of West Virginia and general presbyter for the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina.
A lap dulcimer player, Goodman was a founding member of Presby Pickers and a member and past president of the Appalachian Fiddlers Association. He was also on the board of Mountaineer Habitat, a West Virginia chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and was a founding organizer of TASTE of Ministry.
“I fondly remember his gentle manner, love for the dulcimer and his commitment to supporting the small and rural congregations of this presbytery!” said the Rev. Jerrod Lowry, general presbyter and stated clerk for the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina. “He was a trusted confidant when I struggled to learn the tasks of being a mid-council leader.”
Goodman was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Caroline Goodman and Sarah and Art Glover; and a brother, Frank LeRoy Goodman, Jr. Surviving are his wife of 60 years, Laura “Tee” Hamilton Goodman; two children, John Hamilton Goodman of Weaverville, North Carolina, and Katharine “Katie” Le and husband Quoc Le of Reston, Virginia; two granddaughters, Megan Le and Brianna Le; two nieces, one nephew and several cousins; and a special family friend, Tana Jencks.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Sunnyside Communities Fellowship Fund, 600 University Blvd., Suite L, Harrisonburg, VA 22801.
Bear Funeral Home in Churchville, Virginia, is serving the family. Condolences may be expressed to the family online here.
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