Peter Edwin Goossen, age 82 of St. Louis Park, passed away July 18, 2022, with his family by his side.  Peter was born on March 22, 1940. Pete was a beloved and devoted son, brother and uncle. Pete resided in St Louis Park for nearly all his life, only leaving to serve his country in the Army from August 1963 to August 1965 in Missouri, South Carolina and Louisiana. He is survived by sister Kathy (Don) and many nieces and nephews.  There will be a private family interment to be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Our Echowan says of Peter that, “They say he was once caught studying.”  The editors of our wonderful Echowan made that statement because it reveals that Peter likely didn’t take school too seriously and he wasn’t fond of school organizations either, because he didn’t belong to any – neither academic nor athletic.  Rather, he just enjoyed being who he was.  Nevertheless, he was one of us, and a prized graduate.

Upon discharge from the Army, Pete returned to his parent’s home in St Louis Park. Pete worked at Feinberg’s in Golden Valley as a meat cutter for 22 years. After retirement, Pete spent time traveling on small road trips to Iowa to the dog track, reading and doing crosswords. During this time, Pete also delivered the Star Tribune newspaper.  He also enjoyed going to Canterbury Downs Horse track, where he could socialize with friends and cousins.

Pete enjoyed the outdoors. He loved golf, bowling, hunting and fishing trips with friends at a younger age. However, nothing was more important to Pete than family. Whether he was hosting family gatherings with his mom, babysitting his nieces and nephews or attempting to pass his love of outdoors on to those same nieces and nephews, he always put others, especially family members, ahead of himself.

Pete’s family members all have specific, fond memories of Pete. Whether it was Cadbury Eggs at Easter, moving to the back of the boat so others could fish where they were biting or making a batch of chocolate chip cookies before a visit. You would always find Pete wearing his signature flannel shirt in the winter or a plaid, short sleeve in the summer. We all had our specific memories of Pete as a selfless and conscientious man.

In his later years Pete suffered a stroke that limited his communication skills. However, he still was able to use his wonderful sense of humor to tease his younger sister continuously. He would write or draw messages to communicate with friends, family and community members. He was still able to do his own shopping, etc. by making friends of clerks at these places and going to them routinely for assistance. Even though he lost his ability of speech, his mind was still strong. He would play weekly games of cribbage with his sister Kathy and niece Wendy. He more often than not won. During the weekly visits with Kathy, they would also enjoy lunch from McDonalds.

Pete became like a grandfather to neighborhood children and was able to communicate with them enough to convey his warmth and regard for the people in his sphere of contact.

Pete was in relatively good health until very recently when he was hospitalized for what was believed to be pneumonia only to find out he had cancer. Pete requested to return home. His sister Kathy and niece Wendy moved in with him and cared for him while family visited to say their goodbyes.

So, Peter lived in St. Louis Park his entire life, except for his stint with the US Army, and resided with his mother in the very home in which he grew up.  We do not believe Peter ever married or had children of his own, but he certainly was a good family man, nevertheless. 

We remain open to what other classmates may recall about Peter and his life and friendships in our class, and what else he may have done with classmates before or following graduation.  If you have such information, be sure to share that with us below in the “Post Comment” section.

A Memorial Tree was planted for Peter Goossen by the Cremation Society of Edina, MN.