Marcella H. Goss, 88, of East Providence

Posted 10/18/16

Marcella (Marcy) H. Goss, of East Providence, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 at the age of 88. She was the wife of the late Richard J. Goss, professor emeritus and dean of biological sciences at …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Marcella H. Goss, 88, of East Providence

Posted

Marcella (Marcy) H. Goss, of East Providence, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 at the age of 88. She was the wife of the late Richard J. Goss, professor emeritus and dean of biological sciences at Brown University. Born in Lynn, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Harley C. Hyde and Mildred (Widdoes) Hyde of Swampscott, MA.

A graduate of Swampscott High School, class of 1945, she lived in Barrington since 1953. She holds degrees from Tufts University and the Harvard/Radcliffe program in Business Administration. A part-time job at a real estate agency turned into a 22 year career in real estate. A desire to “refresh” her education, she enrolled in the Department of Music at the former Barrington College, and went on to become an instructor of music theory. Marcy opened her own studio in 1972 and continued private lessons in her studio well into her 80s. Her greatest joy was sharing her love of music with her students, delighting in the development of the young and inexperienced to mature and sensitive pianists. Much of her life was devoted to young people. For many years, as a volunteer at the Rhode Island Historical Society, she conducted children’s tours, reliving the later 1700’s and early 1800’s of our history. Art was another medium through which communication with young people was rewarding: discovering such great painters as Van Gogh through the volunteer Art Library Program at Nayatt School in Barrington. As a volunteer at the Bradley Hospital School for emotionally challenged children, the awesome power of music as a universal language was evident.

Mrs. Goss had been a member of Barrington Congregational Church U.C.C. since 1955. During her active years, she was a member of the church choir for 35 years. A student of Anna Fiore-Smith, she became a full-time member of the American Guild of Organists, RI Chapter in 1967. She served several area churches as organist and choir director, retiring in 1984.

Her summers were spent at her cottage in East Boothbay, Maine. Her hobby of many years, watercolor painting, led to the creation of her favorite scenes along the RI and Maine shores. She was a member of the RI Historical Society, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Barrington Preservation Society, Women and Men of Brown University, Barrington Women’s Club and numerous other organizations. 

At her summer residence, she was active in the community as a member of the Boothbay Region Historical Society, Boothbay Region Land Trust and served on the board of directors of the Lincoln Arts Festival and the Boothbay Shores Association.

She leaves her son Stephen H. Goss and daughter-in-law Karen of Stone Mountain, Ga., her daughter Elizabeth A. Gillis and son-in-law Michael of Berlin, Conn., and her grandchildren: Corey and his wife Katherine, Elise and her husband Michael, Garrett, Mark, Michael-Jared and his wife Amanda, Richard and a great granddaughter Emma. She was predeceased by her sister Harlene Hyde.

Friends and relatives are invited to calling hours on Oct. 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Smith-Mason Funeral Home, 398 Willett Ave, Riverside, RI 02915. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations to Hope Hospice and Palliative Care of RI, 1085 N. Main Street, Providence, RI 02904 would be greatly appreciated. Please visit smithmason.com for full obituary and online condolences.

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.