Peter Joseph Gossens

Peter Joseph Gossens passed away peacefully on January 15, 2021 at the age of 74. Born on June 13, 1946 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Houston, Texas to Gerhart Heinrich Gossens and Maria Sophie Botzem Gossens, Peter spent the majority of his first 15 years in Beirut, Lebanon, where his father worked for Trans-Arabian Pipeline Co.. He attended the American Community School Beirut and because the school was administered by the New York School System, he became a lifelong fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. A highlight of his life was meeting the Dodgers team and legendary manager Tommy Lasorda at President Reagan’s Rose Garden ceremony celebrating their 1988 World Series win.  

Growing up in Beirut with German-American parents led to a love of travel and adventure which he passed on to his children. He was fluent in German and French and claimed to be able to swear proficiently in Arabic (though the latter was never proven).

When the Gossens family moved back to the States, Peter attended W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia, where he graduated in 1964. He briefly attended George Washington University before enlisting in the United States Army and was honorably discharged in 1970. When asked about his military service, Peter always told the story of having tickets to see the Beatles at DC Stadium (now RFK) in 1966. He got caught trying to sneak off base and wished they had caught him sneaking back in after the show instead.

Peter completed his BA at the University of Maryland where he majored in government and politics with minors in history and speech. He went on to complete his JD at Georgetown University Law School, and also received a Law Diploma from the Sorbonne Institute on International and Comparative Law in Paris, focusing on International Law. 

Peter spent most of his career in government relations, working effectively across the aisle on legislation that continues to have a positive impact on Americans. He deeply believed in the power of the government to make positive change in the lives of its citizens. 

In the late seventies through the mid eighties, he was the Vice President of Government Relations for the National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (NAICU) and collaborated with renowned university presidents from across the country.  One of his proudest achievements was working directly with Senators Robert T. Stafford (R-VT) and Claiborne Pell (D-RI) to create the Federal Guaranteed Student Loan program, now called the Stafford Loans and Pell Grants which provide college education funds for low and moderate income students. Both are still at the core of higher education access and affordability.

From 1989 to 1992, Peter served as Counsel for the Committee on Appropriations, US House of Representatives, as legislative director for Congressman Sylvio O. Conte (R-MA). His legislative portfolio included education, health and social justice issues as well as America’s involvement in space including NASA’s Space Shuttle initiative. He went on to become a corporate lobbyist for General Dynamics, Vice President of Government Relations for Fleishman-Hillard, and then Vice President and Senior Lobbyist for Jefferson Government Relations. 

In his spare time, Peter was an active member of the Blessed Sacrament Gym Mass Choir and volunteered with Troop 52 of the Boy Scouts of America, where both his children were scouts. He loved to cook and leaves behind a cherished recipe book including his infamous 12-Bowl Thanksgiving Stuffing and New Year’s Day Chili.

He loved music and playing his guitar. During the 1960’s and 70’s, Peter frequently attended and even performed at the Cellar Door. His children were raised on the music of John Denver, the Beatles, Starland Vocal Band, and many others. Peter was well-known in the Barnaby Woods DC neighborhood for his karaoke skills for many years. Peter was also an avid sailor, a hobby he passed along to his children.

After retirement, Peter spent several years traveling the world, living again in Beirut, followed by time in Madrid and Brno (Czechia), before returning to the States in 2011. The final decade of Peter’s life was spent at a variety of assisted living facilities in the state of Virginia. As his brain succumbed to dementia, he somehow managed to maintain his sense of mischief far longer than anyone could have expected. Once he even escaped from his nursing home in Stafford County and hitchhiked to Washington, DC to attend Barack Obama’s 2013 inauguration. He was back in time for dinner.

Peter was preceded in death by his parents, Gerhart and Sophie, his brother Phil, and sister Charlotte Mitchell. He is survived by his eldest brother, Gerry and sister-in-law Betsy; brother-in-law, Jim Mitchell; his daughter Elizabeth Gossens Eide and son-in-law, Matthew Eide, of Washington, DC; his son, Peter Gossens, and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Sophie Beiers, of Portland, Oregon; and six nieces and nephews, and their seven children. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer’s Association.

To learn more about caring for a loved one with dementia, watch the documentary, Alive Inside.

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