Obituary of Harry Gooder

Harry Gooder, PhD

Dr. Harry Gooder was born in Castleford, Yorkshire, England and passed peacefully this week in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Dr. Gooder received his PhD at Leeds University, had a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard, followed by additional postdoctoral work at Central Public Health Laboratory in London. In 1961, he joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a professor of Microbiology and Immunology and remained on the active faculty until 2004. During his tenure he was acting department Chair twice, interim department Chair twice, and Chairman of the Faculty 1988-1991. He received the Jefferson Award in 1994 and was a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He was active in professional societies in England and the United States; principally in the American Society of Microbiology, where he was a member of the Council Policy Committee and Chairman of the Meetings Board for ten years. He published research in national and international journals and co-edited Microbiological Reaction to Environment for the Society of General Microbiology England.

Harry is survived by his wife, Sally Couch Vilas; sister, Emma Gooder Haworth, husband Peter Haworth, and niece, Susan J. Hudson of Chesterfield, England; children, Caroline M. Gooder, Catherine Vilas Stanford, Mary Coker Vilas, and John Couch Vilas; sons-in-law: Lawrence Fleishman, and E. Ray Stanford; grandchildren, Benjamin Elias Fleishman, Diana Catherine Stanford, John Earnest Stanford, Alyssa Gooder Fleishman, Suzanne Miriam Fleishman, John Terry Paton, Nicolas Antonio Hernandez, Liza Judith Hernandez, Robert Jackson Vilas, and Elizabeth Rose Vilas. 

Harry was preceded in death by his daughter, Patricia Anne Fleishman-Gooder.

A graveside memorial service was held Saturday June 2nd at 1:00 pm in the Old Chapel Hill Cemetery, with a Celebration of Life to held at Carol Woods Retirement Community at a later date. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the NC Botanical Garden: CB 3375, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375 or Carol Woods Charitable Fund: 750 Weaver Dairy Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill is honored to assist the Gooder family.