John Gorham

John Gorham passed away on January 27, 2025 in Greenville, RI at the age of 92. Born on October 23, 1932 in Providence he was the son of Sayles and Ruth (Campbell) Gorham. He was the brother of the late Bradford Gorham, Esq. and Dr. Nicholas Gorham. He is survived by his sister Desire Palmer of Rehoboth, MA. He was a long time resident of Scituate residing in the town from 1959-2019. He was married to his late wife, Barbara (Nye) Gorham for 64 years before her passing in 2021. Together they had three children, Timothy N. Gorham and his wife Carolyn of Wakefield, RI; Peter C. Gorham of Greenville, SC; and Rebecca G. Norton and her husband Paul of Norfolk, MA. He leaves five grandchildren, Andrew, Katherine, and Julianne Gorham, Allison and Zachary Norton. He was a graduate of Hope High School (1950), Brown University (1954) and Harvard Law School (1957). He also served in the United States Army (1957-1958). An attorney, he was a partner at the law firm of Gorham & Gorham from 1958 until his retirement in 1997. During this time he served as the Town Solicitor of Scituate beginning in 1958. He was a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Harvard Law School Association of Rhode Island, and was a Fellow of the Rhode Island Bar Foundation. He was a former member of the RI Bar Association House of Delegates and the Thomas F. Black, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Committee administered by the RI Bar Foundation. Upon retiring from the active practice of law, in 1998 he became Chairman of the The Champlin Foundation where he had served as a member of the Distribution Committee since 1975. As Rhode Island’s largest private foundation, he was directly involved in the awarding of millions of dollars of grants annually that benefitted non-profit organizations statewide in the areas of education, libraries, youth services, historic preservation, healthcare, social services, arts and culture, animal welfare, and the environment. During his tenure, he was directly involved in literally changing the Rhode Island landscape conserving thousands and thousands of acres of land in a partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Department of Environmental Management, and other conservation focused organizations and municipalities throughout the state. His other crowning achievement was founding The Champlin Scholars Program at Brown University that supported hundreds of graduates of Rhode Island public high schools with scholarships for both undergraduates and medical school students. Students from virtually every public high school in Rhode Island benefited and he celebrated their success with annual luncheons hosted by the President of Brown. Throughout his adult life his civic involvement was unending and enduring, especially in his beloved Town of Scituate. He was a member and past President of the Scituate Lions Club; a Trustee and former Chairman of the North Scituate Public Library; a former coach and past President of the Scituate-Foster Little League; an honorary member of the Scituate Art Festival Committee; an honorary member of the Scituate Preservation Society; a member of the North Scituate Baptist Church; a member of the North Scituate Volunteer Fire Department; and a member of Hamilton Lodge#15 F & AM. He was also a member of the Pilgrim John Howland Society, the Providence Rotary Club, the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen, the Moosup Valley Grange, and the Frederic C. Tanner Memorial Trust. His family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to the wonderful staff at The Village at Waterman Lake for their care, kindness and friendship extended to John. They were indeed his angels. Above all, he will be remembered for his kindness, humor, enthusiasm and integrity. In lieu of flowers, he requested that donations in his memory be made to the North Scituate Public Library. Visiting hours will be held at Winfield & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory, 571 West Greenville Road, North Scituate on Sunday, February 2nd from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. The Funeral will be held on Monday, February 3rd at 11:00 a.m. at North Scituate Baptist Church, 619 West Greenville Road, North Scituate. Burial will be private.

Tributes

John Gorham

January 27, 2025