James F. Goldrick

James F. Goldrick, 85, passed away on December 20, 2025 surrounded by family. He was the husband of Sheila (Witherell) Goldrick, with whom he shared 63 years of loving marriage.

Born in Natick on July 31, 1940, he was the son of the late Jacques and Louise (Reagan) Goldrick. Jim grew up in Natick and graduated from Natick HS in 1958. He graduated from Burdette College and had a long career as a financial analyst for Polaroid Corporation.

Jim and Sheila raised their three daughters in Framingham for over 30 years. They later retired to their home in Falmouth where they enjoyed the beach and other outdoor activities for the next 30 years.

Jim was an avid sports fan, playing football, basketball, and track in high school but his love for sports did not end there. He played pickup hockey, softball, tennis, fished, and he rode his bicycle well into his 70’s. He followed all of the Boston sports teams, the Patriots being his favorite. He loved swimming and body surfing the oceans waves–he didn’t care if the water temperature was 57 degrees, he was swimming!

Jim taught himself golf and he became a great player; he was very proud of the hole in one he made at Falmouth Country Club in 2008, the day before his birthday. He enjoyed playing cards, cribbage, and Freecell on his computer. He did not miss any news and would read the paper for hours. Jim was very well organized and had spreadsheets to keep every detail in order. He and Sheila travelled to dozens of places around the world in their retirement, Jim labeling every photo and creating slideshows of their trips. He loved meeting new people anywhere he went, and at family lunches or dinners out, he would often introduce each family member to the waitstaff, making them feel part of the family, too.

Jim was a proud grandfather and enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. He was a devoted fan of all their activities–no matter rain or snow, Papa was there to cheer them on. For every birthday, he and Sheila would sing their grandkids the birthday song “to their favorite grandchild”, without fail.

In addition to his wife Sheila, he is survived his daughter Deborah Murphy and her husband Paul of East Falmouth, his daughter Susan Harrison and her husband Brian of Boxford, his son-in-law Brian O’Hearn, his sister Claire Martin and her husband Al of Newburyport, his nieces Rebecca Rully and Alison Fruh, his eight grandchildren, Brianna Perri, Mikayla Blackwell and her husband Jon, Kristina Perri, Shannon Manoli and her husband Luke, Owen Murphy, Erika Witwicki and her husband Derek, Sean Harrison and his wife Catherine, and Nicole Feltenberger and her husband Richard, as well as his great-grandchildren Jonathan, Raegan, Harrison, Jack, Luca, and Francesca. He was predeceased by his daughter, Cheryl O’Hearn.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s name to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at https://give.cff.org or the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation https://www.npcf.us. Online condolences are available at www.LyonsFuneral.com