Gary Goins

Gary Goins: March 10,1946 - May 18,2025

Gary, Beloved father, grandfather, prankster, music lover, and creative tinkerer

Gary, originally from Florence, Alabama, and a proud Tennessean since 1964, passed away peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of laughter, craftsmanship, and love.

Gary had a magnetic personality—a razor-sharp sense of humor, a gift for storytelling, and an uncanny ability to turn any day into a good time. Whether pulling off an epic prank or fixing a broken appliance with parts you’d never expect, he brought ingenuity and heart into everything he did.

He retired after more than 30 years of dedicated service to St. Thomas Hospital—before it became Ascension—where his creativity and work ethic were as admired as his easy smile.

In the years before retirement, Gary was also an avid cyclist. Never one to do things halfway, he once rode from his home all the way to New Orleans—traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway with nothing but what he could carry on his back and bike. He loved the outdoors, and some of his happiest moments were spent fishing, hiking, and camping—always more at home under a wide-open sky than just about anywhere else. It was all part of his adventurous spirit, quiet determination, and deep appreciation for the simple, rugged beauty of the world around him.

At home, his truest passions played out in quieter corners: in his woodshop, where he transformed ordinary scraps into beautiful pieces, and in his living room, where Lyle Lovett, Ray Charles, and all the greats poured from the speakers as he soaked in every note.

Gary was a true original—equal parts creative mind and practical problem-solver, with a bit of redneck grit that he wore like a badge of honor. He could jury-rig just about anything, build something beautiful from nothing, and still crack a joke while doing it. He had a way of making the resourceful look effortless and the simple feel special.

His taste in music was as eclectic as it was soulful. In addition to Lyle Lovett and Ray Charles, he had a soft spot for artists like Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, The Charlie Daniels Band, B.B. King, and Tuba Skinny. Storytellers, crooners, and legends who played with heart and grit. He didn’t just listen to music; he felt it.

Gary is preceded in death by his parents Mr. and Mrs. JB and Pearlie Goins, and sister Nancy House. He is survived by his three daughters, Amber Goins-Finley (Jerry), Katherine Lee (Peter), and Amanda Diamond (Luke), who carry forward his humor, resilience, and love of music. He was the proud grandfather of Olivia Lee, Emma Diamond, and Henry Lee, each of whom brought him immeasurable joy.

Gary’s absence leaves a deep void, but his spirit—humorous, resourceful, soulful, and with more than enough stubbornness — will continue to echo in the stories we tell, the songs we play, and the lives he touched.

Dad loved technology but held to his roots of solving problems by hand and returning to the elements of the earthat the Larkspur Conversation to lay dad’s remains to rest among a canopy of trees and a beautiful meadow where butterflies spread their wings, flowers bloom, and his spirit can soar.

Rest easy, Daddy. The shop’s quiet now, but your legacy builds on.

To find out more about Larkspur, click here: https://larkspurconservation.org/cemetery-photo-gallery