Dr. Kenneth Goss

Dr Kenneth Goss

Kenneth George Goss, MD, of Shelburne, Vt, a former resident of New Canaan, died from Alzheimer's disease on Wednesday, March 19, at Shelburne Bay Senior Living He was 91

Dr Goss 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, NY, on Long Island

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 He continued his studies at University of Rochester School of Medicine, receiving his MD degree in 1952 After an internship in internal medicine, he began his practice in Chili, NY

In 1961, Dr Goss moved his family and medical practice to New Canaan He believed that an attentive, caring and open doctor-patient relationship was essential to the success of primary medical care, his family said "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 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 He was named chairman of the Department of Family and Community Medicine in 1978, serving in that role until his retirement in 1993

Dr Goss was a thoughtful man who enjoyed a good pun and the ironies of life, his family said 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-a-half-yearlong 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," family said

Services of Remembrance will be offered at Trinity Episcopal Church, Shelburne, Vt, on Saturday, May 17, at 2 pm, followed by a reception at the Lodge at Shelburne Bay, and at Trinity Cathedral in Little Rock, Ark, on Saturday, July 12 at 2 pm

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, your favored charity or with "a tip of the hat" in remembrance

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