Obituary of Franz J. Gschossmann
On Friday, March 3, 2023, Franz J. Gschossmann, son of Josef and Maria Gschossmann, loving husband and father, friend and businessman, suddenly yet peacefully left us at age 83.
Franz was born in January of 1940 in Munich, Germany. He was the middle child of five children. His sister, Ginny, was the oldest and he had three brothers: Karl, Heinrich and Ludwig. He came to America as a young adult only planning on staying a year to improve his English language skills. He loved his native Germany, returning there often to visit, but he also came to love America and chose to stay in New Jersey, become a citizen, attend Rutgers University and marry. He was blessed with two daughters and later he married his current wife of 40 years, Barbara, and together they added another beautiful daughter to the family. He was a loving father and husband.
A true gentleman, Franz was cultured, smart, honest, compassionate, generous and he was just fun to be with. Although conservative by nature, he was always willing to try new things and made the most of every experience.
Franz owned his own business. He worked hard and played hard, scheduling travel between endless hours at his office. Trips home to Germany were a must to visit family and also to stay grounded. While there, he added side trips to London or Paris or Venice or Florence or Salzburg or elsewhere. He also loved taking time in the sun with friends in The Florida Keys. Short getaways to Newport, San Francisco, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard and Vermont were just enough to refresh.
A native European, he was a huge soccer fan – FC Bayern München of course! Competitive by nature, he enjoyed swimming for exercise but was a devotee of any fast sport played with a racquet: badminton, racquetball, tennis - and then there was ping pong! He appreciated the beauty and serenity of nature and walked, hiked, and rode his bicycle whenever he could. He relaxed and spent quiet time reading his Wall Street Journal with classical background music: Beethoven or Vivaldi or Mozart or whoever, usually with a cat purring nearby.
Franz was a member of the New Brunswick Rotary and Schlaraffia Newarka, a German cultural organization. He had a special ability to connect with people, a best friend to anyone who was lucky enough to come into his life. He made a point to always help anyone with whatever he could.
Franz was a good man. He will be missed.
A public visitation will be held on Thursday, March 9, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. All other funeral services are being held privately. He will be laid to rest at Somerset Hills Memorial Park, Basking Ridge, NJ.
Since Franz will be entombed in a mausoleum, placing flowers at the site will not be possible.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS,
please consider making a donation in Franz’s name to:
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation
2361 Hylan Boulevard
Staten Island, NY 10306
https://dogood.t2t.org/give/320847/#!/donation/checkout
OR
Somerset Regional Animal Shelter
100 Commons Way
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Be Still
Song by The Fray
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still and know that I am here
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still, be still, and know
