Obituary of Lillian Margareth GOSSEN

February 6, 1922, Rosthern, SK January 16, 2015 – Calgary, AB Lillian Margareth Gossen, beloved matriarch of the Gossen clan, died peacefully at Sarcee Hospice on Friday, January 16, 2015. Lillian was born on February 6, 1922 near Rosthern, Saskatchewan. She was the third daughter of Annie Rempel and Jacob Esau. Lillian grew up in Saskatchewan, and graduated from Normal School in Saskatoon in 1941. After teaching primary school for a couple of years, she married her beloved Henry George Gossen on June 18, 1944. Henry’s career as a chemist with Imperial Oil took these two young prairie kids to destinations beyond their wildest dreams, and they lived all over Canada (Flin Flon, Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary), South America (Cartagena, Colombia; Campana, Argentina; Caracas, Venezuela), the Middle East (Marsa el Brega, Libya), and the United States (Miami, Florida; Lake Charles, Louisiana). Along the way they had three children and gained two daughters-in-law and a son-in-law: Randall Garth (Cecilia), Heather Susan (Bevan Laing) and Stewart David (Dianna). As Lillian wrote to her husband on their 61st wedding anniversary, “because of you I have seen the world, gained countless friends, been bedecked with fine jewelry and dressed equal to nobility.” Over the course of their international adventures, our elegant Nana acquired a passion for designer clothes; fur coats, fancy jewelry and luxury travel, and our Nono treated her like a queen. She also took great pride in her family and loved spending time with her grandchildren Maria-Elena (Jose Zaldivar), Christopher (Ciara), David (Evgenia), Donald, James, Susan (Drew McIntosh), Andrew (Aysia), Alexandra, Jacob (Tesney), and Katherine (Colin Mitchell). She was thrilled with the arrival of great-grandchildren Amanda, Olivia, Alicia, Joaquin Henry, Aoife, Alinka, Michelle and Jude. In the past few years dementia made it hard for Nana to keep track of who was who in her large, international family, but she retained her social graces until the very end. Lillian was predeceased by her parents, her parents-in-law, her step-father Frank W. Epp, sisters Esther and Gladys, her beloved husband of sixty-two years Henry, daughter Heather, and son-in-law Bevan Laing. In addition to Randy, Cecilia, Stewart, Dianna, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, Lillian is survived by her sister Luella Bradley, her brother-in-law Russell Gossen, and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, (703 Heritage Drive SW) on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lillian’s memory may be made to Habitat for Humanity. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In living memory of Lillian Gossen, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Park Memorial, 5008 ELBOW DRIVE S.W. Calgary, AB, T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.