Joseph R. Goss, BHS 1947

Joseph R. Goss, BHS 1947

Goss, Joseph R., 82, September 23, 1929 - December 23, 2011

Joseph Goss of Huntington Beach, CA, died following heart valve surgery. Joe is survived by his wife of 57 years, Janice; son Matthew; daughter Sharilyn Goss Castro, granddaughter Emily Reese Castro, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Reese Stotts Goss, and Eugene M. Goss, his brother Eugene M. Goss Jr., and his sister Mary Goss Barren.

Joe would say he had a great life. He started out poor; he got up at 3A.M. as a youth to deliver the L. A. Times and gave his earnings to his mother. As an adult, Joe has traveled around the world, visited the North Pole, Antarctica and scores of countries and islands in between.

Joe was raised in Burbank, CA, graduating from Burbank High School. He served as an infantryman in Korea in 1951 and earned a BS in Engineering from USC in 1959. While at USC he worked summers at Rocketdyne Division of North American Aircraft Corp. He retired in 1996 from North American Aircraft Division as Vice President. His career began on the J-2 Rocket Engine and progressed with increasing responsibility. He was the B-1B Proposal Manager and upon contract award became Vice President and Associate Program Manager.

Joe climbed and explored the eastern Sierras, California desert ranges and the mountains, mesas and canyons of the Four Corners region. He enjoyed reaching the summits as well finding ancient habitation sites and astronomical observatories. He provided his site survey reports to specialists for detailed exploration of the area.

He will be sorely missed by his loving family and many friends.

The Huntington Beach News, Wednesday, January 4, 2012