Jonathan Goss

JONATHAN GOSS

Sunrise April 10, 1940

Sunset November 17, 2025

Jonathan Goss, the son of MacRoy and Irene Gray Goss, was born in Hemingway, South Carolina on April 10, 1940. He was the second of seven children, six boys and one girl. He came from a hard-working family. Whether it be selling moonshine for his daddy or driving the school bus for lunch money, Jonathan, or Johnny as his friends and family called him, pitched in where the family needed him.

Johnny attended Deep Creek Elementary School followed by Howard High School, where he was involved in Chess and Glee Club. He was a dedicated and disciplined student. School staff encouraged and supported his dream; even going as far to borrow books from another school so he could learn Physics and Chemistry. He graduated from high school as Valedictorian in1958, obtaining a full scholarship from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

In 1961, while still in college, Johnny was introduced to Martha Wilson. He asked her out to a party and after dating for a time, they married on July 16th, 1962, in Newark, Jersey. After six years of hard work and studying, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, making him the first member of his family to graduate from college.

After graduating college 1964, he obtained a position at Sperry Univac. He and Martha moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. They had no friends or family to help them acclimate to this new place, but they quickly formed bonds, creating a new community for themselves and the family they would eventually raise.

In 1970, while working at Sperry, Johnny devised a computer device (Patent #3,515,073). The device was utilized by NASA. After his stint at Sperry, Johnny and friends decided to start an Electronics firm. Community Electronics Corporation (CEC) started as a small venture, but ultimately became a successful minority-owned business in Minneapolis. He later became the President and CEO. CEC, with its multimillion-dollar facility, provided jobs for nearly 100 employees on the Northside of Minneapolis honoring his commitment to those residing in the area.

As a life-long learner he returned to college, and in 1979, Johnny graduated from St. Thomas University with a Master of Business Administration. He took this education, and nearly 20 years' experience at CEC, and went on to work at Microtron where he was Vice-President and General Manager, leading the company to profitability. After leaving Microtron, Johnny then rounded out his career by giving back to the St. Paul community. He worked for SPEAC and later ended his career with St. Paul Public Schools.

Johnny served his community throughout his life in various ways. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity for over 60 years. Johnny also served on the board of Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, was a member of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, and served on the board of The Fairway Foundation where he used his golf skills to teach the game to the next generation of players.

Johnny never lost sight of his love for the Lord. He grew up singing in church and continued while in college. Upon relocating to St. Paul, he and Martha joined Mt. Olivet Baptist Church where he has been a member for 61 years. Johnny was a faithful servant of the church, serving in many ways, including leading the Trustee Board for many years. He spent many of those 61 years singing in the Celestial choir and recording with the Mt. Olivet Celestial choir and the Emmanuel ensemble.

Johnny enjoyed life in many ways. He enjoyed fishing, boating, bowling, took up the guitar, and loved driving his Corvettes. However, golf consumed most of his leisure time. His passion for the game spanned over 50 years. He travelled across the nation on golf trips with friends and spent countless hours on the course. The course became his second home.

Johnny also was a member of the Forty's Club for over 20 years and was a Connecting Link for 33 years. He never lost his love for South Carolina. He travelled home often to enjoy barbecue, play some pluck with his brothers and reminisce about old times. Many of his friends have visited his family home during their annual Myrtle Beach golf trips.

Johnny's life was a life well lived. Regardless of his experiences or his successes, he remained a country boy. He was brilliant and determined. He loved to learn. He loved the Lord. He loved to sing for the Lord. He loved his family. He loved his Corvettes, and he loved golf. He is surely in heaven playing golf and singing in the heavenly choir.

Jonathan is preceded in death by his parents, MacRoy Goss and Irene Gray Goss; brothers, Roy Goss, Wendell Goss, and MacRoy Goss, Jr; sister, JoAnn Goss, and daughter Natalie Goss. He leaves behind his wife, Martha Goss, brothers Verland Goss and Levi Goss; his children, Tyrone Wilson (Lori), Monica Edwards, Phyllis Goss-Albritten (Livingston), LaShawn Goss-Love, and Dimitri Dixon-Goss, nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and a wonderful village of family, friends, and loved ones.

Services will be held on Saturday, November 29 at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church (451 W. Central, St. Paul, Mn 55103). Visitation will be held at 11:30am with service following at 12:00pm. The service can be viewed via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/@mountolivetbaptistchurch3301/streams. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor to Our Lady of Peace Hospice and Home Health Care (https://ourladyofpeacemn.org/donate/).