Charles Eugene Goss

1928 - 2015

HARLAN - Charles Eugene Goss, 87, of Harlan, KY passed peacefully away on Dec 23, 2015 after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson's disease. Gene was the son of the late David Alexander and Captola Forester Goss. He was preceded in death by his sisters Mabel Lee Goss Grim, Pauline Goss Stansberry, Edith Goss Parker, Walter Hunter Goss, and Thomas Goss. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Mark David and Rebecca S. Goss, Nicholasville, KY granddaughters Elizabeth Goss Kuhn (Matthew) and Sarah Anne Goss; his former wife of 27 years and lifelong friend, Betty Anne Goss; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Gene was a tremendously accomplished individual. He was born in Harlan, KY in 1928 and spent his formative years living in the midst of the Great Depression. Its challenges and characters had a great and long-lasting influence on his life. Gene graduated from Harlan High School in 1946 and joined the United States Air Force, where he served as a high speed radio operator on the Bering Sea. His job was to monitor Soviet activities and radio transmissions during the height of the Cold War. He graduated from a 26-week intense high speed operators program in only 13 weeks. Following his military service, Gene attended Eastern Kentucky University where, after only 3 years, he was accepted into the the University of Kentucky College of Law. Following his graduation from law school, Gene worked for a short time in Madisonville, KY, followed by a move to his hometown of Harlan, where he opened a small law practice in which he continued to work until his retirement in 2006. Gene practiced law with his son, Mark David, for over 20 years under the firm name Goss & Goss Attorneys. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, Gene represented thousands of Harlan County coal miners so that they could receive workers' compensation, black lung, and other benefits to which they were justly entitled. In 1976, he argued a seminal constitutional case before the United States Supreme Court, North v. Russell, which ultimately led to an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution to create the Kentucky Supreme Court and required all judges in KY to be attorneys who have passed the bar examination. In addition, Gene served with distinction in the administration of Governor Louie B. Nunn between 1968-1971 as both Secretary of the Health and Human Services Cabinet and the Transportation Cabinet. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University as well as on the Board of Governors of the Kentucky Bar Association. He has been inducted into the Harlan High School Hall of Fame and the Fifth Congressional District Hall of Fame. Furthermore, in 1991, Gene was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of KY. Following his retirement from the practice of law, Gene remained active in academic and literary endeavors. He wrote his first book in 2011 at the age of 83 which was a history of Daniel Boone's KY. It is entitled, "The Wanderer," and he was awarded the Vital Literary Prize for that work. In 2012, he wrote his second book entitled, "Atlanta Rain," a murder mystery. At age 86, he completed his third book entitled, "Summerville," which is a fascinating work of fiction about a once-in-a-lifetime horse and its bloodline that enriches the lives of an entire family. Although Gene was, by all accounts, a Renaissance man, his first and abiding love was the mountains of Eastern KY and his beloved hometown of Harlan, which returned its love for him by naming a highway in his honor. To all who knew and loved him, Gene was the perfect of combination of a father and grandfather, a lawyer's lawyer, a shrewd politician, and a proud author. Funeral arrangements will be coordinated by Henson & Rich Funeral Home, Harlan, KY. Please visit www.hensonandrichfuneralhome.com for more information. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the Harlan Independent Schools Education Foundation, P.O. Box 1619, Harlan, KY 40831 or Hospice of the Bluegrass, 2312 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, KY 40504.