Albert Stanley Goodrich, Jr

Albert Stanley Goodrich, Jr, 83, died on January 19 at Danbury Hospital. He was the beloved husband of the late Mary Kinghorn Goodrich.

Mr Goodrich was born June 22, 1920, in Melrose, Mass., the son of the late Albert Stanley Goodrich, Sr, and Grace Frohock Goodrich. He had two sisters, the late Dorothy Smith and the late Nancy Olson.

He leaves two sons and their wives, David J. and Donna Marie Goodrich of Portsmouth, R.I., and Gary T. Goodrich and Dr Sandra Phillips of Anchorage, Alaska. He was also the father of the late James A. Goodrich.

He also leaves two granddaughters, Amy M. Goodrich of Newport, R.I., and Lori A. Goodrich of Katonah, N.Y. Mary Mitchell of Newtown was a very special and close friend.

Mr Goodrich was a 1943 mechanical engineering graduate of Purdue University. He also earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in 1948.

He had a long and distinguished career as a mechanical engineer. He was principal founder of GAP Instrument Corp. At various times he was employed by Sperry Gyroscope, Tagliabue, ARMA, Pitney Bowes, Barden, Picker, and Smith Corona Marchand, and served as a consultant to Simplex. He worked on military instruments, strip graph recorders, electromechanical systems, postage meters, time recorders, medical imaging equipment, and electronic typewriter print cartridges. His innovation was recognized by the awarding of four patents by the US Patents Office.

After spending many years in Erie, Penn., and Levittown, N.Y., Mr Goodrich moved to Newtown in 1961. After completing his mechanical engineering career, he began “retirement” in 1982 and saw this as a time to develop new interests. People driving along Boggs Hill Road during the late winter would find his sap buckets hanging from maple trees as he prepared to make maple syrup for friends and as a fundraiser for local organizations.

He was a longtime member of Newtown Historical Society, and in 1969 was co-founder of the local chapter of FISH, a volunteer organization that provides help for those needing transportation to medical appointments.

He was an avid photographer and an active member of the Flagpole Photographers Club. With Mrs Mitchell, he photographed historical homes in Newtown and co-authored Touring Newtown's Past as a fundraiser for Newtown Historical Society.

He was also an outdoor enthusiast and could be frequently found hiking the trails in Newtown and surrounding towns as well as canoeing local waterways. Mr Goodrich and Mrs Mitchell shared this interest with others by co-authoring a series of books known as the Newtown Trails books. The books, which have been expanded and reprinted a number of times, have served as a fundraiser for the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library.

In recognition of their efforts on behalf of the town, Mr Goodrich and Mrs Mitchell were selected Grand Marshals of Newtown's Labor Day Parade in 2001. The theme of the parade was "Let's Celebrate Newtown's Natural Beauty."

For the past ten years, Mr Goodrich helped spearhead development and map a proposed route for a recreational, pedestrian greenway trail through Newtown, which has since become known as "Al's Trail."

Friends are invited to attend an open house to be held at Mr Goodrich's residence at 46 Elizabeth Circle in Sandy Hook on Sunday, January 25, from 2 to 5 pm, to reminisce and share stories and anecdotes.

Memorial donations may be forwarded to the Lt James A. Goodrich Memorial Scholarship Fund at Newtown High School, Attn Office of the Principal, Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook CT 06482. Checks should be made out to Newtown High School.

The Newtown Bee January 23, 2004