GOSS, RUFUS BERTON - Master Warrant Officer (retired). The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME). Rufus Goss died peacefully February 10, 2014, at Saint John Regional Hospital, following a stroke. Rufus was born in 1926 to the late Rufus E Goss and Pauline (nee Craig). He was predeceased by a brother Arlington Goss (Eileen) and a sister Elaine Hunter (Dudley). He is survived by a brother Byron Clinch (Jean) of Saint John, NB, and a sister Gail MacDougall (Archie) of Cornwall, Ontario. Rufus was predeceased by his beloved wife Margaret Wyoma (nee Lewis) in 2004, after 56 years of devoted marriage. Rufus and Margaret are survived by their three children, William Goss (Peggy), St. Andrews, NB, Gloria Hargrove (Brian), Saint John, NB and Janet Goss, Fredericton, NB. He was extremely proud of his six grandsons, Corey and Jeffrey Taylor and Anthony, Nicholas, Alexander and Matthew Goss, and his four (soon to be five) great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews. Rufus enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1943, at the age of 17, and served with honour and distinction, in war and peace, for 26 years, including World War Two and the Korean War. He was a highly skilled and respected craftsman, practicing and teaching the “artificer” trade of weapons maintenance and repair. Following his retirement from military service, Rufus embarked on a second career when he became employed, first in the construction and then the operation, of the Lake Utopia Paper mill near St. George, NB, shortly to be appointed to the position of Personnel Manager, from where after two decades he retired for a second, and final time, in 1989. His pastimes included hunting and fishing and working his “farm” at Pennfield; pretty much anything that involved being outdoors. He was an incisive and enquiring mind. With limited formal education, his voracious reading habits equipped him with a knowledge of history, historical biography, political science, and multiple other specialized topics, all of which taken together would equate to a number of university degrees. Although not a gregarious man, Rufus formed a few close friendships, particularly amongst his fellow “old soldiers”, that were invaluable to him and which he never lost track of. One could not imagine a more loyal or trustworthy man to have as a friend. The family wants to express its deep gratitude to Dad’s friend Mrs. Marjorie Savoie who, over the last few years, has provided him with loving companionship, care and support, without which it would not have been possible for him to realize his fervent desire to live out his final years in his own home. We also appreciated the compassionate dedication and care given by various in-home health and other support professionals, made available with the assistance of support for Veterans.
As keeping with Rufus’ wishes, there will be no visitation. A Celebration of Rufus’ Life, including a Royal Canadian Legion Tribute Service, will be held from the Gary E. Waycott Memorial Chapel at the St. George Funeral Home & Crematorium (755-3533) 26 Portage Street, St. George NB on Friday at 11:00 am. The interment will take place at the St. George Rural Cemetery in the spring. In Rufus’ memory, donations to a charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated by the family. (www.stgeorgefh.ca)