William Fred Gosnell's Obituary
William Fred Gosnell lost his brave battle with Parkinson’s Disease on April 13, 2024. He is survived by his wife, Bobbie Carlene, his three daughters, Mary Ellen Gosnell, Katie Anne Edwards, Emily Ruth Dowd, and a son, John William Gosnell, along with seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Bill was born on February 24, 1944 in Vancouver, Washington and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and Seattle Washington. He served in the US Marine Reserves and worked for 32 years in the Seattle Fire Department. For most of those years he was a leader in the International Association of Firefighters, Local 27, AFL-CIO. Upon his retirement in 1996 the Washington Council of Firefighters Awarded him lifetime membership in the IAFF as recognition of his decades long service to the union.
Bill was a master woodworker and built a beautiful home in Pawnee, Oklahoma after he and Bobbie retired. He served as Manager of the Pawnee Chamber of Commerce, he was a founding member of the Royal Black Bear Fjord Society, and hosted the annual Norwegian Constitution Day dinner. Additionally, he and Bobbie were lifetime United Methodists. In the Pawnee Church, Bill was dubbed the “potluck King”. But for all his accomplishments, Bill Gosnell will be most remembered for his kindness, his decency, and above all his sense of humor and quick wit. To paraphrase Oklahoma’s Favorite Son, Will Rogers, Bill never met a person he didn’t like.
There will be a private, family only service.
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