William McGoldrick

McGoldrick, William J.
William J. McGoldrick of Gaylordsville, CT, died at home on Sunday May 29, 2016 . He was born in New Milford ,CT, on August 24, 1931, the oldest of three sons born to William F. McGoldrick and William Margaret Lillis McGoldrick. He was raised on the McGoldrick Farm, which straddles the Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook and Sherman/New Milford town line, owned by the family since 1884.
Bill attended the one-room Gaylordsville School and New Milford High School, and graduated from Harvard University with honors in 1952 and Harvard Law School in 1955. Throughout those college years, he returned home every summer to be with his family and help on the farm.
In 1955, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Lieutenant McGoldrick served with distinction for three years as an on-board air controller flying off aircraft carriers traveling to the Arctic and every port on the northern side of the Mediterranean including Gibraltar and Istanbul, plus a stop in Lebanon during the Lebanese Crisis in 1956 and 1957.
In 1958, Bill embarked on a 30-year career at J.P. Morgan in New York City, rising through the ranks to Senior Vice President in The Trust and Investment Division. He married Phyllis Gruler in 1959 and settled in Brooklyn Heights, where they raised their son, Sean. But weekends and vacations were spent largely at the farm helping his parents and brother.
In 1993, Bill and Phyllis retired to Sherman full-time, where he partnered with his brother, Dick, to take care of the family farm and keep it operating. He was also involved with the Sherman Historical Society, Sherman Chamber Ensemble, Naromi Land Trust, New Milford Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Kent. Donations of land and conservation easements to Weantinoge Heritage guarantee that the land Bill loved will be forever preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Bill's roots were well established and nourished in those formative years on the farm, where he learned the values of hard work, honesty, loyalty and dedication to family, farm and faith. He inherited his father's soft spoken manner, modesty and work ethic, and his mother's quest for the opportunities that education provided and curiosity to see the world beyond the horizon. Thriving in the competitive arenas of Harvard, the U.S. Navy and J.P. Morgan, Bill never forgot who he was or where he came from.
Bill is survived by his wife, Phyllis; his son, Sean; and his brothers, Dave and Dick.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday June 3, 2016 at 11 am at Sacred Heart Church in Kent. Interment will be private. Calling hours will be held on Thursday June 2nd from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at the Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge Street, New Milford, CT.
In Lieu of flowers contributions in his memory may be made to the New Milford VNA and Hospice, 68 Park Lane Rd., New Milford, CT 06776 or the Sherman Historical Society, 10 Route 37 Center, Sherman, CT 06784.