Dr. Robert Chris Goodhope MD

April 26, 1950 - June 2, 2020

Dr. Robert “Bobby” Chris Goodhope, age 70, died on June 2, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida, at the Big Bend Hospice House surrounded by loving family. He was born April 26, 1950, as the second child of Robert and Roberta (Lange) Goodhope in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He attended various public schools and graduated from Centerville, South Dakota High School in 1968. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of South Dakota as well as his Doctor of Medicine degree, graduating in 1978. He completed a residency through the Sioux Falls VA and began his career at the Fort Meade VA as a general internist, eventually becoming Chief of Medicine. He completed a Master of Business Administration to strengthen his administrative skills. Through his years as a physician, he greatly enjoyed teaching and mentoring students and has recently established scholarship endowments for future medical students at USD. In the middle of his career, he moved to Tallahassee to become Chief Medical Officer of the local VA clinic. In 2004, he served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Medical Corps in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was an avid reader, outdoorsman, wood splitter and stacker, and lover of numerous animals that graced his house over the years. After retirement from the VA in 2011, he practiced the art of blacksmithing at his self-built “Time-Warped Forge.” He spent countless joyful days shaping metal into useful items for those he loved. Grateful to have shared his life: his wife, Suzi of Havana, Florida; children, Dr. Michael C. Goodhope (Lynette) and granddaughters, Kennedy and Gillian; Angela M. (Chris Orman) and granddaughter, Auralia (Mason Entingh) and grandson, Forrest; Cinda R. (Tim Cuthbertson) and Dr. Nicholas R. Goodhope; stepson, Sandy (Sky); his father, Robert M. Goodhope; siblings and in–laws; three sisters, Roberta “Bunny” Nelson (Richard), Robin Mofle (Doug) and Rebecca Johnson (Kevin); one brother, Randy (Philip); three nieces, Jennifer and Katy Nelson and Hazelin Johnson; and four nephews, Jesse, Sam and Rob Mofle, and Cole Johnson; as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and colleagues. He was preceded in death by his mother; Roberta (Lange) Goodhope in 2010. A memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the USD School of Medicine Goodhope scholarships or the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be expressed at www.abbeyfh.com.