CATHLEEN ASCH GOSS

1950 - 2017

BARRINGTON HILLS - Cathleen Asch Goss, 67, passed away on July 31, 2017 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago following complications from treatment for melanoma. She is survived by her husband, Jan C. Goss; her son, Alexander "Zander" Goss, and his new bride, Hannah Boston of England; her siblings Jonathan Asch of Greenwich, CT, Amanda Asch Halle of Salisbury, CT, and Andrea Asch of Richmond, VT; and her stepdaughters Natalie Goss, of Indianapolis, IN, and Hannah Goss Wachs, of Sherman Oaks, CA. She was the proud aunt of eleven nieces and nephews and was fondly known as "Grandma Snow" to her seven stepgrandchildren. Cathleen was born June 14, 1950 in New York City to Florence Asch, nee Rossman, and John Asch, who raised her in Scarsdale, NY and Greenwich, CT. After spending her junior year with the College Year in Athens (CYA) program, she graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a major in classical archaeology. She later served on the board of trustees for both CYA and Bryn Mawr, as well as the Archaeological Institute of America. In 1976, she received an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. A job at AT&T led to her 1985 move to Indianapolis as business manager for Bell Labs' Electronic Photographic Imaging Center (EPICenter). This trailblazing group of engineers developed the Truevision Graphics Adapter and TARGA imaging technologies - milestones in the evolution of computer graphics. In 1987, Cathleen led negotiations for an employee buyout of EPICenter from AT&T, creating TrueVision, Inc., which was combined with RasterOps, Inc., in 1992. Cathleen, Jan, and Zander relocated to Chicagoland in 1994 so she could become head of Ameritech's Electronic Commerce Division. From 1996 she renewed her passion for entrepreneurship by running or advising a number of startups and small businesses, notably assisting Language Analysis Systems, Inc., (LAS) management with its expansion and ultimate sale to IBM. Though not an engineer herself, Cathleen became an expert in facilitating communication between technological visionaries, marketing departments, and production teams. She delighted in mentoring budding entrepreneurs and building friendships with other professionals, especially with fellow members of the Belizean Grove. Cathleen's personal interests were as varied as her professional experience. A lifelong traveler, she took an active interest in the history of the cities in which she lived and travelled. She had a great curiosity about diverse cultures, religion, and art. Her hobbies included cooking, wine, archaeology, glass collecting, and making her own beads and jewelry. Friends and family will remember her abiding love of all furry creatures, especially groundhogs. Cathleen's final weeks were spent surrounded by family. She took delight in being part of Zander and Hannah's wedding, which was conducted in her hospital room. In place of a funeral, a Celebration of Cathleen's Life will be held at her home in Barrington Hills, Illinois on Saturday, October 14, 2017. Please email cathleengossmemorial@gmail.com to request details. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial donation to your choice or to one of the places of special significance to Cathleen: Camp Arcadia in Maine where she spent her childhood summers, camparcadia.com/scholarship-foundation/; or the Women's Fund for the country of Georgia which she repeatedly toured in recent years, womenfundgeorgia.org/en/About*tab=4; or College Year in Athens, cyathens.org/148/1/give-now/.