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Tryon, NC– Longtime resident Harry Goodheart passed peacefully of natural causes on October 29, 2021 at the age of 78. Harry was a well-known figure in many local circles, having moved to Tryon from Florida in 2002. He lived a full life dedicated to helping others and serving his community.
Harry is survived by his former wife, Ann Goodheart, and his sister Nancy Goodheart Matthews.
Harry served with distinction in the US Air Force in Vietnam during the war and was a graduate
(with Honors, 1962) of Culver Military Academy where he rode with the prestigious Black Horse
Troop in President Kennedy’s inauguration; Washington and Lee University (BA, 1966); and the
University of Missouri, Kansas City, School of Law (JD, 1973).
For twenty years Harry was a successful trial lawyer in Bradenton, Florida and was an active
member of the Florida Bar, serving two terms on the Board of Governors. During this time, he
was involved in the early development of the Florida Lawyers Assistance Program providing
recovery services for lawyers struggling with substance related illnesses and served on its board
of directors for five years. Ahead of his time, Harry saw the need and value in using mediation
to resolve legal conflicts. He transitioned to a civil trial mediation practice and mediated over
2,500 cases throughout the Southeast, predominantly focusing on the value of human and
property losses. Harry was instrumental in establishing the Charleston School of Law’s Dispute
Resolution Center, developing the Florida Twelfth Judicial Circuit’s Model Mediation Program,
and was a consultant to several other Florida courts and agencies. He also served as President
of the American College of Civil Trial Mediators, a national association whose members sought
to enhance the ethical and professional practice of civil trial mediation. In 1998 he was honored
with the Award of Merit from the Florida Academy of Professional Mediators and was a Life
Fellow of the Florida Bar Foundation. Harry also loved to teach, conducting advanced
mediation, negotiation and dispute resolution workshops and seminars for lawyers and judges
nationally as well as in North Carolina, South Carolina and also in New Zealand. He continued to
conduct mediation training workshops on behalf of the South Carolina Bar.
Throughout his life Harry had an insatiable desire to learn and master new interests ranging
from becoming a licensed pilot, a skilled woodworker, an avid saltwater fly fisherman, sailboat
racing, photographer, a writer of poetry and haiku, and, last but not least, a lover of books.
Harry loved reading and discussing books even as a child and later discovered the joy of
collecting rare and fine books specializing in distinctive antiquarian and modern first editions,
becoming an expert in book valuation and appraisals. He was an active board member of the
Lanier Library and recently completed his term as its chairman.
Harry devoted his professional and personal life to helping others – be it the underdog client
who needed a skilled lawyer to protect their interests, the child in need of a Big Brother, or the
individual struggling with a disability trying to put his or her life back together. And he did all of
this quietly and without fanfare.
To honor Harry, make time to read and help others; to share in his love for his best friend, Lila,
please donate to the Foothills Humane Society, 989 Little Mountain Road, Columbus, NC 28722.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 beginning at 11:00 am at the
Tryon Presbyterian Church, 430 Harmon Field Road, Tryon, NC.
The service may also be viewed online via Facebook link https://fb.me/e/ZbR4qwyI or at a later
date you can view at www.tryonpresbyterian.org
An online guest register is available at mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com

McFarland Funeral Chapel & Crematory
Tryon, North Carolina