Michael Gooch

Michael Victor Gooch, proud father of Katrin Gerig, Lara Mann, and Joel Gooch, died March 2, 2023, after a brief, heartbreaking illness. Mike was born in San Francisco, California, on June 4, 1941. He attended elementary schools in Mt. Vernon and Fairfield, Illinois. In 1959, he graduated from Huntingburg High School in Indiana, where he was an outstanding basketball and baseball player. He continued playing baseball as an undergraduate student at St. Louis University. His education was completed at St. Louis University School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in June of 1965.

The summer after his graduation from law school was one of adventure. He toured Europe on a Vespa scooter, enjoying the beauty of the country villages and the excitement of major cities. In the fall he was privileged to begin his legal career as a Deputy Attorney General under John J. Dillon. His specialty was appellate law. He and Susan Davis were married on February 19, 1966, at the St. Louis Cathedral in Missouri.

In February of 1967, he was granted a leave from the Attorney General's office to train in the U.S. Army Reserve at both Ft. Campbell, Ky, and Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. His unit was not called up in the Vietnam War, and he was honorably discharged in November of 1971.

In 1969, Mike joined the law firm of Harrison and Moberly. Early in his career, his focus was immigration and motor carrier law. His practice then shifted to workers comp and federal and state appellate law. Because Mike was a passionate advocate for the underdog, he was very fulfilled practicing immigration law. He chaired the Indianapolis Bar Association's Grievance Committee from 1981-1986. Mike retired in 2002 after thirty-three years of practice with Harrison and Moberly.

Mike loved nothing more than an outdoor adventure, especially with his family. They reassembled a 100-year-old log cabin on eighteen beautiful acres in Martinsville, Indiana. He was proud that this was totally a do-it-yourself project. He thoroughly enjoyed including his family and beloved German Shepherd on wilderness vacations such as rafting on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (a five-day trip!), backpacking in the Rocky Mountains and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and canoeing and portaging in the Boundary Waters Wilderness in Minnesota. He found inspiration, joy, and peace in nature.

The treasured family members who predeceased Mike are his parents, Dorotha and Don Dippel; his grandparents, Florence and Homer Hutchison; his infant sister Katherine Dippel; his sister-in-law, Amy Louise Dippel, and an infant great-niece. Survivors who will always cherish his memory are his daughters Katrin Gerig (Ty) and Lara Mann (Nick) as well as his son, Joel Gooch (Alison). His surviving grandchildren are Grace, Davis, and Sam Gerig; Elisabeth, Zoe, and Hope Mann; and Carter and Dylan Gooch. Additional survivors are his siblings: Pat Gooch (Jeanne), John Dippel (Dee Dee), Anne Dippel Bowie (Nelson), Tom Dippel (Marilyn), and Matt Dippel. He is also survived by six nephews, three nieces, three great-nephews, three great-nieces, as well as Susan Gooch, the mother of his children.

A celebration of life will take place at a later date in Huntingburg, Indiana.