Louise Chitwood Goss

A memorial service for Louise Elizabeth Chitwood Goss, 91, will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at the Woods Baptist Church. Officiating will be Dr. Paul Powell. A private burial at the Rose Hill Cemetery will precede the service under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Mrs. Goss died April 8th, at her home. She lived in Tyler since 1955. She was born February 5, 1918, to Lest D. Chitwood and Georgia Stanley Chitwood in Ione, Arkansas. She graduated from high school in Ft. Smith Arkansas and received her R.N. from St. Edwards Mercy Hospital in 1939. She completed her R.N.A. at Charity Hospital School of Anesthesia in New Orleans, LA., in 1940. She married Vernon V. Goss, M.D. in 1943. Mrs. Goss worked as a nurse anesthetist in hospitals in Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana during WWII. She demonstrated leadership in her many community volunteer services, some of which included; Texas and Smith County Medical Association Auxiliaries, American Cancer Society (Board member and coordinated an 11 county house-to-house campaign), Meals on Wheels, Senior Circuit, certified Nursing Home Ombudsman, Republican Women, Baptist Student Center at TJC and the East Texas Symphony League (chaired the quilt fundraiser). In 1989 she received the “Humanitarian Award” from the Volunteer Center of Tyler, and the Certificate of Appreciation for Volunteer Services from Governor Clements. Most importantly, she was the recipient of the 1999 Heart of Gold Award from the Smith County Medical Society Alliance. Louise was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend, conscientious and creative in her many rolls. She was a member of Green Acres and Woods Baptist Churches. Special interest included cooking and entertaining, sewing and needlework, music, equipping church kitchens and organizing church culinary events and musical productions. Survivors include husband, Dr. Vernon Goss; daughters, Linda Hazelton and husband Court of Tyler and Irene Goss-Werner and husband Robert of Natick, Mass.; granddaughter, Hannah Werner of Natick; sister, Hazel Gross of Oklahoma City, OK; sisters-in-law, Amy Jo Chitwood of Frisco, Texas, and Myrza Evans of Bryan, Texas. She was preceded in death by her brothers L.D and Earnest Chitwood and both parents. Honorary pallbearers will be Ricky Chitwood, Randy Chitwood, Dr. Charles Dodson, Morris Gary, Lee Gross, Charles Harrell, J.D. Hines, Bill Newton and Dr. Kerfoot Walker. The family would like to recognize Patricia Eaker, Gail Ford, Kathy Ford, Dr. David Fletcher, Darlene McCraw, Dr. David Sloan, the medical staffs of ETMC Home Health Care and hospital and the medical staff and volunteers at Hospice of East Texas for their kindness and care for Mrs. Goss. Memorials may be made to; Hospice of East Texas Foundation, 4111 University Blvd., Tyler, Texas 75701; Meals on Wheel, 1915 Garden Valley Rd., Tyler, Texas, 75701, or Smith County Medical Alliance Nurses’ Scholarship Fund, PO Box 8714 Tyler, Texas, 75711.

Louise Chitwood Goss

February 18, 1918 - April 8, 2009