Obituary of Alex J. Gossin

Gossin, Alex J. "Big Al" Penfield: On April 15, 2010 at age 94, “Big Al” Gossin died peacefully at his home in Penfield. His loving wife of 68 years, Irene L. Gossin, along with his devoted children, Andrea Tarquinio and Peter D. Gossin, and grandchildren, Alex and Christopher, were at his side. In addition he is survived by 3 more grandchildren, Peter C. Gossin of Seatle, Washington, Thomas G. Gossin of Rochester, and Jamie C. Gossin of Rochester and a number of nieces and nephews. Born of immigrant parents in 1916, March 8th to be exact, Alex came from humble beginnings. From the beginning education was the most important thing. He was interested in dramatics in high school and played MacBeth. Later he decided that it wasn’t his cup of tea, besides, his parents wanted him to pursue college. His senior year at Cornell University became his first year of Law School. Within 6 years of beginning college, he obtained a Doctor of Laws. After that, he took the bar exam and became a licensed attorney in the state of New York. It was at that point, that Alex met Irene. They began dating and became serious. A year and a half later, they were engaged and a year and a half after that, they were married during the war. He tried to enlist in the Army but was denied because he was flat footed. He then enlisted in the Coast Guard; he applied for Officers’ Training. He went to the training school but received a medical discharge, once again due to his feet. Upon his return, he and Irene were married in December of 1942. Irene was a certified teacher in NYS and taught music and chorus, Alex began practicing law a little at a time and eventually opened his own office. He waited for his friend to return from the Marines and the two started a partnership in law in Rochester, NY. After 10 years, he and Irene decided to apply for adoption and planned to buy some land and build a house. All through those years, he was still practicing law and working on the house. It was the way life was for the Gossins. Alex became busier and busier. After the war, there were a lot of deportation issues. Most immigrants falsified statements and were arrested. Alex tried 10 cases and won every single one of those cases. It was very time consuming. These were the things that he was the proudest of: He saved lives and helped people. Then came extradition cases. These cases were far more difficult. Because of his earlier successes, the people who were arrested came right to Alex. His most famous case was the first case in the United States that was trying to extradite a person behind the Iron Curtain. His client would have been executed, had Alex not won the case. 3 years to the day, this individual was sworn in as an American Citizen. Alex believed that the greatest gift and reward was his being able to save this individual’s life. He continued to practice law throughout the years. His partner, Samuel Atlas, passed away after 60 years of working together and unfortunately, Alzheimer’s began to creep up on Alex and he could no longer practice. He closed the office and retired at the age of 88. He was a kind and patient man; through the years there were many times he was paid in small gifts (like a couple of pairs of pajamas) or received no payment at all. He just wanted to help others. Alex had a wonderful personality and incredible reputation. Everyone loved him. He will truly be missed by the multitudes. Interment will be held privately. A Memorial Service will be held Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 4 PM at the Daisy Flower Mill (Click for Website) (1880 Blossom Road, Rochester, New York 14625) Click here for a map Donations in his memory may be made to: Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester 441 East Avenue Rochester, New York 14607 Click to Visit Website Please feel free to submit a memory or message of sympathy to the family by clicking the "ADD MEMORIAL" tab below Home Penfield, New York Birthplace Rochester, New York