Virginia Beach—Lawrence J. Goldrich, 98, passed away at his home following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.
He is survived by his wife, Jan T. Goldrich; children, Patricia, Andrew, Vicki, and Lauren; and grandchildren, Samantha and Mikaela; his nephew, Bill Berger and wife Gail; great-nieces Dani (Seth) Pariser and Allison (Ben) Weinger, great-grandnephews Jay, Matt, and Mason, and great-grandnieces Farin and Quinn. He is also survived by cousins David (Linda) and Dinny Frankel, Marilyn Gilden (Irv), Janet Strauss, Joel Weissman, and their children and grandchildren, and cherished friends including Barry Rosengarten, Bart Frye, and Walter Page, among many others. Larry was preceded in death by his sister Maxine and brother-in-law Les Berger, and his niece, Gail C. Berger.
Born in New York to David and Bess Goldrich in 1922, Larry graduated from Far Rockaway High School in 1941, and entered the University of North Carolina. In 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served four years before returning to UNC, where he joined Pi Lambda Phi and received a BA in American History in 1947.
He began his business career in construction and real estate development in 1948 in New York before moving the business to Virginia Beach in 1952 and founding Larrymore Organization, Inc. with his brother-in-law, Les Berger. Recognizing the area’s potential, he developed residential and commercial properties throughout Norfolk and Virginia Beach, as well as Long Island, Manhattan, upstate New York, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and Nevada. Larry loved his work, and could be found in his office in College Park Monday through Friday, even through his 95th year. Over the years, Larry was grateful for the dedicated support of numerous employees, including Regina, Chris, Karen, Erla, Ginny, Dennis, Brian, Donna, Randy, Scott, Dwight, Andre, and Willie.
Among his many professional affiliations, Larry served as president of the Tidewater Association of Home Builders, as Senior Life director of the National Association of Home Builders, as chairman of the NAHB Research Center, and as board member for the NAHB’s Housing Endowment Foundation.
An enthusiastic philanthropist, Larry founded the Lawrence J Goldrich Foundation and the Larrymore Foundation, which benefited non-profit organizations and causes throughout Hampton Roads.
Especially close to his heart was his alma mater UNC–Chapel Hill, where he chaired the annual giving council, co-chaired the Annual Giving Fund, and served on the Board of Visitors and the General Alumni Association board of directors. Larry founded and endowed the UNC Alumni Sculpture Garden and established the Chancellor’s Club, and was a loyal supporter and active volunteer and community advisory board member for 45 years at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Locally, Larry served on the Old Dominion University President’s Council and the ODU Educational Foundation Board of Trustees, as well as on the boards of Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater, Virginia Stage Company, Virginia Opera Association, Chrysler Museum Advisory Board, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach SPCA, Tidewater Jewish Foundation, Beth Sholom Village, and was instrumental in establishing the Department of Jewish Studies at ODU.
Larry was a member of Ohef Sholom Temple and past chairman of Ohef Sholom Foundation.
Recently, with his wife Jan, Larry made a legacy gift to the EVMS “Deliver on the Promise” campaign, establishing the EVMS Lawrence J. Goldrich Institute for Integrated NeuroHealth, the first of its kind in the area. It will provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to his business and community activities, Larry was a man of many interests including boating, deep-sea fishing, gardening, traveling, and the arts. He loved spending time in the yard surrounded by his canine family members.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Freda H Gordon Hospice and Palliative Care for all of their dedication and support throughout his illness.
A small private memorial service was held in Virginia Beach. It was available to view remotely via Altmeyer Funeral Home at www.altmeyerfuneralandcremation.com/ or the Cremation Society of Virginia at https://www.vacremationsociety.com. A celebration to honor Larry’s life will be held at a later date.
The family asks that donations in his memory be made to the EVMS Lawrence J. Goldrich Institute for Integrated NeuroHealth, the Ohef Sholom Temple Foundation Fund, the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, or the UNC Alumni Sculpture Garden.