Kelsey Burr Gould

Kelsey Burr Gould
of BinghamtonKelsey Burr Gould, 92, of Binghamton, N.Y., passed away on Friday, June 16, 2006, at Lourdes Hospital. Burr was born on November 13, 1913 in Montclair, N.J. He was predeceased by his first wife, Catherine Himes Gould; his sister, Justine Gould Coonley; and grandson, Thomas Behan. He is survived by his daughter, Kelsine Gould Behan and her partner, Russell Sprague; son, David Gould and wife, Annette and son, Arthur Gould and wife, Rita; his life partner, Rita Thomas; and her children, George Thomas and wife, Joyce, Jeannne Kutz and husband, William, Sally Simon and husband, Ralph. Gramps, the best grandpa a kid could have, is survived by his grandchildren, Douglas Behan, Julia Behan Hadlock and husband, Peter, Alan Gould and wife, Jody, Jennifer Gottschall and husband, Jonathan, Sara Gould, Scott Haulton, Shannon, Katie and Tyler Kutz, Jocelyn Patak Whittemore and husband, Jason, Ralph Simon; and great-grandchildren, Clayton and Spencer Hadlock, Daniel Kutz and Jack Whittemore. He is also survived by his niece, Katherine Coonley Gruss; and nephew, John Coonley. Burr came to Binghamton in 1937 to work at American Optical Company. During World War II, he was the foreman of the optical department at Link Aviation. He later went on to form his own precision optical business, Gould Lens Service. Burr believed that playing hard was just as important as working hard. He did both very well. He spent most of his leisure time camping, sailing and skiing. He leaves behind a 2006-07 season pass at Greek Peak Ski Area and a new pair of skis. His love for life and the ability to live it in a positive way was felt by everyone who knew him. He was the best husband, partner, dad, grandpa and friend you could possibly have. We will all miss him very much.
There will be a calling hour at 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 22, at Ogden Hillcrest Methodist Church, 1061 Chenango Street, Binghamton, followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m. celebrating Burr's life. Lunch will be served following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ogden Hillcrest Methodist Church Memorial Fund.