David W. Gossard Jr.

1930 - 2020

David W. Gossard, Jr.

David William Gossard, Jr. was born in Seattle on February 17, 1930. He was raised in Enumclaw at the house on Gossard Street, built by his father Bill (David William Gossard, Sr.) and his mother Sarah. He told his children stories of the jobs he had as a young man; working at the Farman's Pickle plant in Enumclaw (which gave him a disdain for any pickle but Farman's Dill); cruising timber for Weyerhaeuser, involving very cold early morning rides on a bus up in to the mountains, walking for miles then coming home in the evening to find his mother wanting the family to all eat dinner outside. He started college at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma but transferred to the University of Washington for his last two years. After graduation he spent 690 days at Fort Ord California where he was known as "Hungry". Once he was discharged he traveled to Austria and spent the winter skiing and improving his technique. Returning to Seattle he entered Law School at the University of Washington.

For David, skiing was the highest calling. He loved most spectator sports. He took up running in the late 1960s and started entering races and eventually ran a few marathons, he waterskied upon occasion and he played tennis. But downhill skiing was his lifelong passion. Besides his Austrian sojourn he skied in Sun Valley frequently, making long weekend trips with friends in college. But Crystal Mountain was like his first child. He helped scout the mountain as early as 1951 (that timber cruising proved useful!) and was one of the first to buy stock in the corporation. Crystal Mountain was a dream realized and it was something he was proud of for the rest of his life. He was also a driving force in the writing and publication of the history of the mountain "Crystal Mountain: Built by Skiers" by Julie Van Pelt in association with the Crystal Mountain Founders Club.

Skiing is also how he met Carolyn Carpenter who became his wife on Christmas Day in 1959. They had three children between 1963 and 1966 so things were lively at the Gossard house. And Crystal Mountain is where all three children learned to ski, the family eventually becoming members of Crystal Mountain Skiers Inc.

David practiced law in Seattle for almost his entire career. He and Carolyn refused to live anywhere other than Capitol Hill and they had to have a view. He loved to be the center of attention and later in his life when he and Carolyn traveled he only wanted to go if he could be catered to and pampered. He loved the Huskies, the Mariners, the Seahawks, and the Super Sonics. His favorite band was Pearl Jam, even though he never really listened to them...

David died at the age of 90 (achieving one of his goals) on June 7, 2020 and is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carolyn, his children Star (Theron) Dirette, Shelly and Stone (Vivien) and 6 grandchildren, Elinor (Allen), Lucas, Vivian, Marlowe, Faye and Gwinny. We will miss his laugh, his stories, and most of all how often he told us he loved us.