John Symes Goodnow

1936 - 2018

PETERBOROUGH – John Symes (Sym) Goodnow, 81, of Peterborough, passed away on February 7, 2018 in San Juan, Puerto Rico while returning to New Hampshire from his winter home in Anguilla, British West Indies.

Sym was born on May 18, 1936 in Keene, New Hampshire, the son of John R. and Margaret Symes Goodnow. Sym graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1954 and attended Dartmouth College where he received his B.A. Degree in 1958.

From 1958 to 1962 Sym served in the United States Army Intelligence Corps. He was initially posted to Washington DC, where he met his future wife, Mary (Molly) Guyer. Sym then attended the Defense Language Institute at Presidio of Monterey in Monterey California, where he underwent intensive training in Russian language. Upon graduation from the Defense Language Institute, Sym was assigned to serve at the U.S. Army Garrison in Stuttgart, Germany until his discharge from the Service. During his military service Sym married Molly Guyer on December 28, 1959, and she accompanied him to Germany.

Upon his return from Germany, wife and baby son in tow, Sym attended Boston University Law School where he earned his LL.B. and served on the Law Review Editorial Board from 1963 to 1965. After graduating from law school Sym returned to his hometown of Keene and joined Goodnow, Arwe and Ayer, P.C., the firm established by his father in 1958. Sym practiced law for forty-five years with a specialty in trust and estate law and was a member of the New Hampshire Bar Association, President of the Cheshire County Bar Association, a Fellow of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation and a Commissioner of the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. In addition to his law practice, Sym also served on the board of Cheshire National Bank and J.A. Wright and Company, and as Corporate Secretary for Troy Mills.

Sym's dedication to his community was legendary. He was a President and Director of the Monadnock United Way, Monadnock Family and Mental Health Services, Keene Rotary Club and Southwest New Hampshire Dartmouth Club. He was one of the founders of Center Stage Cheshire County, which created and organized the world-renowned Keene Pumpkin Festival as well as other community events. One of his most humorous positions was as President of the Amalgamated Squash, Chowder and Development Corporation. Most recently Sym served as Trustee of the Foundation for the Preservation of Historic Keene, the Historical Society of Cheshire County, and the Cheshire Medical Center/Cheshire Health Foundation. Sym was the recipient of the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award and the Keene Family YMCA Red Triangle Award. In particular, Sym had a passion for the Keene Family YMCA and its service to the Keene community.

Over his lifetime Sym enjoyed golf, snorkeling and especially loved to garden. He spent as much time as he could tending his carefully selected plants and was especially proud of his wide variety of hosta and lilies, painstakingly acquired from nurseries near and far. Sym's stunning gardens were featured in a number of charity fundraising tours and were also the setting of his daughter's wedding.

Sym loved all kinds of adventures, local and global, from exploring granite quarries in Roxbury, New Hampshire to snorkeling in the Caribbean. A few noted excursions include safari in Kenya, glacier viewing in Alaska and witnessing a solar eclipse off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Sym traveled widely but his favorite trips were always to Anguilla, the tiny Caribbean island where Sym and his wife, Molly, owned a home for over thirty years and were "Belongers," a special status awarded to certain long-term visitors.

Sym had a quick wit, a kind heart and a wonderful, dry sense of humor. He will be dearly missed by his wife: Molly (Mary Guyer) Goodnow of Peterborough; son: John Guyer Goodnow and his wife, Cheryl, of Norwell, Massachusetts; daughter: Mary Symes Goodnow Donnelly and her husband, James, of Monroe, Connecticut; grandchildren: Win Goodnow, Hale Goodnow, McGregor Donnelly and Aidan Donnelly; sister: Persis G. Hamilton of Boylston, Massachusetts; and extended family. He is predeceased by his sister, Joan G. Bardis.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Saturday, February 24, at 1 p.m. at All Saints Church, 51 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH 03458. Burial will take place at the West Cemetery in Keene, New Hampshire at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in John Symes Goodnow's name to the Keene Family YMCA, 200 Summit Road, Keene, NH 03431 or to the RiverMead Community Fund, 150 RiverMead Road, Peterborough, NH 03458. Fletcher Funeral Home of Keene, NH 03431 has been entrusted with the arrangements (www.FletcherFuneralHome.com).