John Lloyd Gorham Sr.

1936 - 2020

John Lloyd Gorham, Sr.

Mr. John Lloyd Gorham, Sr. passed away December 29th, 2020. John was born March 14th, 1936, in Des Moines, Iowa. After a brief time in Little Rock, Arkansas, he moved to Nashville. He is preceded in death by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Matthias (Penninah) Gorham, Sr., and his twin brother, Dr. Matthias Gorham, Jr. He leaves behind his loving wife of 57 years, Kathie Gilmore Gorham, his sister, Shirley Rich (Paul), his children and grandchildren, John, Jr. (Gretchen, Grace, Ellie, John III), Martin (Beth, Martin, Charlie), Ashley (Doug Thompson, Jack, Cate), Brendan (Beth, Maggie, Molly, Lila), Whit (Jessica, Georgia, Helen) and his many nieces and nephews.

John attended The Cathedral School and Father Ryan High School. After graduating in 1954, he attended The University of Notre Dame for two years and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1958. In 1968, John obtained his Master of Education degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

The passion of John's life was teaching. His love and enthusiasm for teaching math made a lasting impression on his students and colleagues alike. From 1959-2020 he taught at Saint Henry School, Bellevue High School, Father Ryan High School, Harding Academy, and Ravenwood High School. In addition to teaching, John excelled as a coach. He coached basketball, football, wrestling, baseball, cross country and lacrosse, winning numerous awards and often leading his teams to N.I.L. and state championships along the way.

His career at Father Ryan also included time as the athletic director and an active SEARCH team member within the Catholic Diocese. He was recognized by the TAIS in 2000 with the Hubert Smothers Award for Excellence in Teaching and was recently inducted into the Father Ryan Athletics Hall of Fame for his dedication to coaching.

Notable achievements outside of the classroom include founding and running the Davis-Gorham Day Camp with Al Davis from 1961-1986 and writing and publishing his own series of Algebra textbooks. John nurtured his artistic side playing his ukulele and creating mixed media art with beads, glass, hemp, and wood.

Famous for his joyous laugh and the "twinkle in his eye," John lived a life of faith-filled service, always willing to give fully of himself. He believed in his students and players and dedicated his life to working with them until they too believed in themselves. His legacy will live on through the students he taught, the campers he influenced, the players he coached, the friendships he cherished, and the children he raised.

A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, January 23rd, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at The Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville, Tennessee. There will be no visitation, however, details for a Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.

Honorary pallbearers will be all his beloved students, dedicated athletes, and Davis-Gorham campers.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Father Ryan High School Tuition Assistance Program C/O Brooke Reusch, 700 Norwood Dr, Nashville, TN 37204.