Obituary of Max Gossel

Max Gossel, age 69, of Flushing, died Wednesday, August 31, 2016, at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint. A memorial service will be held at 5:00 pm on Saturday, September 10, 2016, at Colonial Hills Baptist Church, 5375 W. Mt. Morris Road, Mt. Morris, Michigan, 48458. Family will be present to receive friends at the church on Saturday, from 4:00 pm until the time of service at 5:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization of Flint, Michigan. Max was born December 27, 1946, to Mr. & Mrs. Ernest and Ruth Gossel. He was an active, social, and compassionate man who loved life. He attended school in Mt. Morris, Michigan, where he was an active member of the debate team, and was skilled in giving both sides of an argument on any given topic. On June 26, 1971, Max married Christine Hartz. Sadly, she preceded him in death in July of 1996. Later in life, Max and Carol Karenko were united in marriage on May 30, 1998, in Flint, Michigan. Max was a member of the Big Brothers Association of Flint for 25 years. He was also involved in local politics, The Flushing Rifle Club, and the Local 599 Union. Most of all, he loved spending time with, and spoiling all of his grandchildren. Max’s final act of compassion was to donate his body to science in hopes to find a cure for Neurofibrometisis, an inherited neurological disorder. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Carol; daughters: Christine Gossel, Betty (Tim) Chyo, Karen (Darryl) Howland, and Barbara (Bill) Saxton; beautiful grandchildren: Shawn, Hannah, Tony, Leilani, Alicia, Joshua, Jacob, Katherine, William, and Marjory; brothers: Earnest Gossel and Paul Matthews; sisters: Jean (Tom) Nichoals, and Mildred (Bill) Haack, and Dorothy Taylor; and brother-in-law, Jerold Poehl; Max was preceded in death by his brothers: Don and Edward Matthews; his sisters: Marillyn Poehl, Margaret Kidder; and sisters-in-law: Elsie Matthews and Katie Matthews.