Kenneth George Goss

It is with sadness and thanksgiving that we announce the death of Kenneth George Goss, M.D. on March 19, 2014. He fought a long battle with Alzheimer's disease culminating in his death at Shelburne Bay Senior Living, Shelburne, Vt. Family will be forever grateful for the compassionate care Kenneth received in its Memory Care Unit. "In the darkening night, God came with outstretched hand, saying ‘Kenneth, come with me', and Kenneth, smiling, grasped his hand and disappeared into the light." Kenneth was born in New York City on Dec. 6, 1922 to Ruth Mackenzie and Charles Henry Goss. His childhood and early school years were spent in Freeport, N.Y. on Long Island. His baptism at birth into the Episcopal Church grounded his faith and actions all his life. In 1941 he enrolled in Alfred University in southwestern New York State where he met his wife, Dorothy Jean Burdick, to whom he was married 68 years. Five children were born to this union: Kenneth Mackenzie, Jeffrey Dean, David Victor, John Charles, Patricia Jean and nine grandchildren. World War II interrupted his college experience with service in the European Theater, ending with an Honorable Discharge in November 1945. He returned to Alfred University, graduating in 1948. Kenneth continued his studies at University of Rochester School of Medicine, receiving his M.D. degree in 1952. After an internship in Internal Medicine he began his practice in Chili, N.Y. In 1961, Kenneth moved his family and medical practice to New Canaan, Conn. Kenneth believed that an attentive, caring and open Doctor-Patient relationship was essential to the success of primary medical care. This idea was central in the rest of his career in medicine; Kenneth and his patients were both rewarded by that premise. In 1974 he accepted a faculty position at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Kenneth was excited to find this opportunity to combine his loves of patient care and teaching. Following his experience at MUSC, he was invited to join the faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock in 1977. Kenneth was named Chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine in 1978 serving in that role until his retirement in 1993. Kenneth was a thoughtful man who enjoyed a good pun and the ironies of life. A humble man who was able to laugh at his own foibles while not making others feel foolish in their own. Retirement was busy with travel, consulting, volunteerism and developing personal interests in creative writing, woodworking, fishing, kayaking, cycling and spending time with his grandchildren. Perhaps the most rewarding experience in his travels was the one and one half year long Kellogg Foundation-sponsored period spent teaching in one of the first Medical Schools established for native black students in Umtata, Transkei Province, South Africa during the Presidency of Nelson Mandela. An illuminating, sometimes scary, and always rewarding time spent there marked a fulfilling closure to his professional life. Services of Remembrance will be offered at Trinity Cathedral in Little Rock, Ark. on July 12 at 2 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimers Association, your favored charity or with "a tip of the hat" in remembrance.