John Lloyd Gorham Sr.

to Nashville with his family where he spent the remainder of his life. 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), as well as 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, where he made many lifelong friends as a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. In 1968, John obtained his Master of Education degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

During his summer breaks from Vandy, John began lifeguarding at Belle Meade Country Club, and eventually managed the pool while teaching swim lessons and coaching the swim team. Thus began a dedicated career of service through encouraging young people that would span eight decades.

In 1961, John Gorham and Al Davis founded Davis-Gorham Day Camp. With its legendary buses gathering boys across Nashville and staffed by many of Nashville’s finest high school coaches, it provided summer recreation as well as life-long lessons and memories to thousands of boys - and relief to their parents - until its closing in 1986.

The passion of John’s life and his true vocation was teaching. In 1959, John began his career in education at Saint Henry School, teaching 7th and 8th grade math, as well as coaching the basketball and football teams. In 1963, he moved to Bellevue High School where he taught math and coached wrestling, baseball, and girls' basketball. From 1971 - 2004 he taught algebra at Father Ryan High School and earned numerous awards as he coached the girls' basketball team and helped lead the boys' and girls' cross country teams to countless N.I.L. championships. John also served as athletic director and assistant coach for the wrestling and football teams, and in 1999 he founded the girls’ lacrosse team and led them to two state championships. While at Father Ryan, John was also a dedicated SEARCH team member within the Catholic Diocese, a very meaningful experience in his life and a testament to his strong Catholic faith. In 2006, he began teaching 7th and 8th grade math at Harding Academy where he was an extraordinary advisor, retreat leader, and talented lip syncer until 2017. John finished his 62-year teaching career at Ravenwood High School where he taught in the Special Education Department until December 2020.

John Gorham was a man who taught and coached in such a way as to draw out a person’s potential, and he was successful because of the love he had for his students and athletes. His devotion was recognized by the TAIS in 2000 with the reception of the Hubert Smothers Award for Excellence in Teaching and he was recently inducted into the Father Ryan Athletics Hall of Fame for his dedication to coaching.

In his spare time, John never stopped learning and challenging himself. Some of his most notable personal achievements include writing and publishing his own series of Algebra textbooks, mastering the 8x8 rubik’s cube, and memorizing the first 1,000 digits of Pi. He was also extremely committed to nurturing his artistic talents and sharing his creations with friends and family. John’s favored media were beads, glass, hemp, wood, and the strings of his ukelele.

John lived a life of faith-filled service and was always willing to give fully of himself. Famous for his joyous laugh and the “twinkle in his eye,” he was a true example of whole-hearted living. Wherever he was and whoever he was with, he had a gift of making people feel seen and understood. He gave the gift of his time. Whether he was tutoring after school, teaching someone how to dive, or cheering on his students or grandchildren from the sidelines - he made himself a constant presence in the community and showed up proudly as everyone’s greatest fan. He enjoyed people and took time to listen to their stories and helped everyone to see what gifts they had to offer the world. He believed in his students and players and dedicated his life to working with them until they too believed in themselves. John’s legacy will forever 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 of his beloved students, dedicated athletes, and Davis-Gorham campers.

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