Charles Bahan Goodrich of Meridian, MS died August 30, 2016 following a short illness. He was 60 years old.

Mr. Goodrich was born June 21, 1956 in Boston, MA to the late Earl and Edwina Goorich of Starkville. He suffered hypoxia shortly after birth, which left him non-verbal and autistic.

Charles was named for his grandfather, Charles Bahan Lucke, who in turn was named for his great uncle, Father Charles Phillip Bahan, a Jesuit priest from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the great-great-great grandson of early Starkville residents, Dr. William Cage Gillespie and Robert Allison Lampkin.

A prodigious puzzle problem solver, Charles could finish jigsaw puzzles very quickly with only a glance. He loved his family and close friends, always sharing a big smile, especially when offered cookies. Charles was an iconic figure and in many ways his disabilities defined his family.

His parents, Earl and Edwina Goodrich of Starkville, MS, and brother, Wallace Hoyt Goodrich of Waldwick, NJ, predecease him.

He is survived by his brother, Waldo Earl Goodrich, III and sister-in-law, Susan Burson Goodrich of Atlanta, GA; sister-in-law, Lois Van Dyke Goodrich of Hawthorne, NJ; nieces and nephews, Jason Goodrich (Jennifer) of Mahwah, NJ, Matthew Hoyt Goodrich (Jessica) of Oakland, NJ, Charles David Goodrich (Melanie) of Cambridge, MA, Alison Chandler Goodrich Ali (Abraham) of Atlanta, GA, Debra Jean Goodrich of Hawthorne, NJ, Alexander Bahan Goodrich of Atlanta, GA; and beloved first cousin, Edward Wallace Lucke (Karen) of Chicago, IL.

A graveside memorial service and burial in Oddfellows Cemetery will be held October 22, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.