William N. ‘Bill’ Goss
William N. "Bill" Goss passed away peacefully on Oct. 7, 2017. He was a lifelong resident of the Grand Valley, born Oct. 30, 1920, in Fruita, Colo., the oldest son of Morgan and Rose (Pritchard) Goss. He graduated from Fruita Union High School in 1938. Following graduation he attended Ross Business College and worked for the Colorado Wool Growers Association before enlisting in the Air Force in 1942. After completing airplane mechanics school he was accepted into the pilot training program. He trained on fighter aircraft, notably the P-38 Lightning, and was promoted to Second Lieutenant and awarded his silver wings. He served with the European Air Transport Service transporting cargo and personnel throughout the European Theatre of operations. After his term of service, he was relieved from active duty with the rank of Captain. He joined the Air Force Reserve and eventually retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After returning to the Grand Valley, he went to work at Union Carbide Corporations’ Mining and Metals Division in Grand Junction. In 1958, he bought a 160 acre farm north of Fruita. For the next 13 years, he operated the farm and raised livestock while working full-time as a manager at Union Carbide. In 1971, he sold the farm and moved to the Redlands, but continued to maintain a small herd of beef cattle for the next 45 years. He married Eugenia Mussat on Dec. 4, 1948, in Grand Junction, Colo. They had four children and were divorced in 1975. He married Wanda Wolfe on July 12, 1979. Bill and Wanda enjoyed traveling in their motor home, jeeping, and boating. They spent many happy years together before she passed away in 2013. He was devoted to his family and cared deeply for his children and grandchildren. Friends were always welcome in his home. He will be remembered by friends and family as the salt of the earth, a thoroughly decent, friendly and good-natured man. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda; son, Lawrence, and brother, Douglas. He is survived by his sisters, Zeta Graham of Gunnison, Colo., and Betty Shearer of Glendive, Mont.; brother, Richard Goss of Tucson, Ariz.; daughter, Karen (John) Springer of Loma, Colo.; sons, Ronald Goss of Lynnwood, Wash., and Clifford Goss of Fruita, Colo., and grandchildren, Elizabeth, Zachary, William, Katharine, and Makayla Wolfe of Colorado Springs, Colo. Thanks to the staff at HopeWest and his friends for making his final days comfortable. Funeral services were held at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary on Friday, Oct. 13, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions, in his name, be sent to HopeWest Hospice, 3090B North 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81506.
