Charles Edward Gosse, 80, of Independence died Sunday, August 14, 2022 at West Village Care Center in Independence after a 4 year fight with lung cancer. A memorial open house will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Saturday August 27, 2022 at Geilenfeld-Buehner Funeral Home in Oelwein. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorials be made in Charles' honor to Fayette County Conservation.
Charles was born March 5, 1942 in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Herman and Juanita (Morrow) Gosse. Herman was killed in World War II on Feb. 26, 1945 and Juanita later married his brother, Frank Gosse. He grew up on a farm northwest of Oelwein, attended West Central School and graduated from Oelwein High School in 1960. He then attended Gates Business College in Waterloo. He worked in the office at the Chicago Great Western Railroad, for Rechkemmer Construction and later had his own construction business.
Charles married Dorothy Van Gorder on March 16, 1963 at Christ United Presbyterian Church. Charles and Dorothy had three children: Susan, Scott and Sharon. They lived in Oelwein until 1976 when they purchased an acreage from his parents and he built a house next door. Charles and Dorothy later moved to Oelwein.
Charles enjoyed fishing & canoeing with Dorothy & Andy, going for drives with his family or later by himself, playing solitaire, taking his girls to horse shows and trail rides when they were younger, collecting tools, shopping for just the right gadget to solve a problem, and of course giving those around him a hard time. He was always supportive of Dorothy’s projects, whether it was checking out a new cemetery & looking for ancestors, helping with the clean-up of Otsego Cemetery or her work as Jefferson Township clerk. Like most parents, he loved his children but especially enjoyed spending time and keeping track of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Left to celebrate Charles’ life are his children, Susan (Mark) Leibold and their children, Ethan and Alison of Fort Atkinson; Scott Gosse of Kinston, NC and his children, Stephen Gosse (Elizabeth Downes) of Anamosa, Tiffany (Danny) Thomas of Jacksonville, NC and Annabelle Wenman of Davenport; his grandson Andrew (Lindsey) Gosse of Blue Grass; his great grandchildren Ethan Gosse, Peyton, Colson and Danny Thomas, and Caiden and Taylor Gosse; his sister Geraldine (Roger) Zink of Indian Rocks Beach, FL, and his brother-in-law Gene (Diane) Van Gorder of Waterloo. He was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy on Feb. 24, 2012, his daughter Sharon Miller on Aug. 29, 2017 and his parents.
Charles’ family would like to thank the staff at West Village Care Center for their amazing care over the past year. A special thank you to Marsha Main, as he said, his very dear friend, for helping him get out & about to do the things he still enjoyed.
