Thomas Chester Gormley Jr.

Thomas Chester Gormley, Jr. (Chet) passed from this life on Thursday, August 6th after a tragic car wreck. His legacy lives on through his selfless organ donations and in the hearts and minds of those whom his life has touched.

Born July 20th, 1988 in Nashville, TN, Chet was an adventurer and an intellectual, passionately pursuing his interests wherever they led him. Growing up on the lake at Center Hill and his later adventures in Boy Scout Troop 31 instilled Chet with a love for the outdoors and introduced him to his favorite hobbies. Whether he was climbing, kayaking, wakeboarding or snowboarding, Chet’s smile was never brighter than when he was doing what he loved.

Chet was born with a strong curiosity and intellect. He excelled at school, from Julia Green Elementary through Montgomery Bell Academy, where he formed fast friendships and graduated Cum Laude in 2007. He continued his education at Penn State, becoming a brother at the Zeta Psi fraternity, and finished his studies at Vanderbilt where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. He interned at several local engineering firms after graduation and fulfilled a lifelong dream by working as a ski instructor at Copper Mountain in Colorado before returning to Nashville and taking a position in the engineering department at Nissan.

Chet is survived by a multitude of loving family and friends. Surviving him are his loving parents, Bess and Tom Gormley, his sister, Patricia and his brother, Will. His paternal grandmother is Ruth Gormley of Bowling Green, KY. His maternal aunts and uncles are Jim Harris and Leslie Boone; Dr. Howard and Pat Jones; Dr. Freeman and Sue Harris of Portland, OR; and Jack and Debra Harris, formerly of Nashville. His paternal aunts and uncles are Steve and Marilyn Gormley of Shelbyville, KY; Steve and Cathy Chapman of Canton, GA; David Gormley of the Forks of Elkhorn, KY; Dan and Anne Mosier, and Kevin and Amy Croghan of Bowling Green KY; and innumerable cousins and friends.

Memorial services will be at St. George’s Episcopal Church on Harding Road in Nashville, TN on Saturday August 15. The visitation will be in Hampton Hall from 9:30 to 11 am with a service to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Boy Scouts of America, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, or blood donations to the Red Cross.