Samuel Gershon Goodrich

Samuel Gershon Goodrich, age 76, of Sandersville, died Thursday, December 25, 2014. His family will receive friends and celebrate his life on Sunday, December 28th from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the May and Smith Funeral Home in Sandersville. A family memorial service will be held at a later date.

Sam was born to Minus and Evelyn Gershon Goodrich in the fall of 1938 in Sandersville, Georgia. He was a smart and studious child, and his path would include several schools. His family owned and operated The Vogue, The Vogue Men’s Store, and the Goodrich Hotel. He was valedictorian of the Sandersville High School Class of 1956 as well as being the quarterback for the Sandersville Satans football team. After his graduation from the University of Georgia, Sam returned home to manage the family businesses with the help of his mother Evelyn and his wife Paula until retiring and closing the business in 2005. By the time the business closed, Sam had advised on the clothing of almost every man in town.

Sam grew up in a loving, accepting family and, in turn, became a loving and accepting man. His stories about his childhood were always entertaining and usually humorous and self-deprecating. He loved to tell about how he and Nina learned to roller skate. He asked their mother if they could practice in the house. Without hesitation she agreed, and they skated with their metal-wheeled skates throughout the house with its hardwood floors. When asked if his parents were upset, he said, “No. Those were just things. They weren’t what really mattered.”

Sam loved life. Everybody who knew him liked him for good reason—he liked everybody he knew. It didn’t take long to locate Sam when you walked into a crowded room or party. He was the one everybody was gathered around. He had a million funny stories to tell, but he was even better at appreciating the stories of others. If you told even a mildly entertaining story, he would throw his head back and laugh in such a way that you felt fascinating.

Sam was a world-class dancer. When he started to dance, he and his partner would often clear the dance floor while everyone else stopped to watch. On one memorable occasion just a few years ago, a bridal party entered a nightspot while Sam was dancing. The young bride in her wedding dress and veil took one look, walked across the floor and held out her hand to Sam. They danced, and he loved it.

Sam liked nothing better than to be out meeting and greeting people. One of his favorite things was to sit on the patio at the country club. He would lean back, relaxed and happy, sipping on an occasional martini with three olives, smoking a cigar, and chatting with everybody who passed by. He knew how to enjoy his life and how to help everybody around him enjoy theirs.
During his forty years owning and managing the Vogue and the Vogue Men’s Store, Sam employed and mentored many young people. He did not hesitate to teach and model many life lessons for them. He showed them how to dress, of course, but he also worked with them on issues such as displaying good manners, being respectful to others, and—one of his lifelong obsessions—good grammar. Whether they worked for Sam for a few months or many years, they left as better, more self-confident people. Many went on to become ministers, lawyers, financial analysts, or other productive members of society.

Sam was a family man. He grew up in a close household with his parents and his sister, Nina. He was a loving father to his children, Deborah and Stephen. He was not inclined to boast, but he would beam with pleasure when others exclaimed about Deborah’s career successes. He was always proud of her and was so pleased when her husband Eric joined the family. Sam was, above all, devoted to Paula, his wife of 36 years. They enjoyed life together, sharing friends, family, and many interests. He was often teased about the fact that when someone asked him to play golf or to go somewhere, he always said, “I’ll have to check with Paula first.”

In addition to his devotion to his family and his many friends, Sam was serious about his religion. He was an observant Jew and always attempted to follow the tenets of his religious heritage. He had a strong moral compass and made his feelings known about injustice or unfairness.

Upon learning of his death, one friend said, “Sam was really ‘Mr. Sandersville.’” He truly cared about his community and all the people in it. He was involved in its politics, serving on the Sandersville City Council as well as the Downtown Development Authority. He supported its schools, its athletic teams, and its fine arts. He was a gifted writer, serving as reporter for the WACO Hawks football team for seven years. He acted, sang, and danced in theater productions from his thirties into his seventies. In recent years he refined his lifelong enjoyment of drawing to a full commitment to drawing and painting. He studied with Tonia Marynell and excelled at detail and color. He was an active member of the Fall Line Arts Guild.

He is survived by his wife Paula Combs Goodrich of Sandersville, a daughter Deborah G. Ziegenhorn and her husband Eric of Austin, Texas, and a sister Nina G. Levine and her husband Ed of Lilburn. He is predeceased by his son Stephen Minus Goodrich and his parents Minus and Evelyn Gershon Goodrich.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be made to the Sandersville Animal Shelter P.O. Box 71, or The Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library, P.O. Box 268, both in Sandersville, GA. 31082.

The family would especially like to thank Dr. Jean Sumner and the staff of Heritage Inn for their devoted care during Sam’s last year.

May and Smith Funeral Directors is in charge of these arrangements. www.mayandsmithfuneraldirectors.com