Sarah Barger Gosnell
December 2, 1912 ~ October 6, 2014
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Asheville Butterfly Trail
Sarah Barger Gosnell, 101, entered her Heavenly home on Monday, October 6, 2014.
Born December 2, 1912 in Middlesboro, KY to Tilman Walter Barger and Mary Ann Gant.
At age five, after living a short time in Florida, she remembers the train trip to Asheville because the conductor commented she had "pretty brown eyes". It was a compliment she never forgot.
She loved being outdoors and learned to farm and garden by shadowing her father. In her 90's, she was still making a small home garden in her West Asheville backyard and hand watering it from branch water nearby.
After completing West Buncombe High School she worked nine years at Enka Corp., Asheville.
In 1934, she married James Welman Gosnell, one of the original members of the Friendly Five Quartet, Christian song writer, piano and voice teacher, minister of music at First Free Will Baptist Church, Elizabethton, TN, and Christian Columnist for the Elizabethton Star in Elizabethton, TN until his death in 1952.
She was lunch room manager at Eugene Rankin and Vance Elementary Schools, followed by sixteen years at Three Mountaineers Corp.
"I always liked working, and enjoyed going to work", she said.
Retirement led to her favorite job as a "professional" babysitter, which formed several lasting friendships with parents and now, grown children, to this day.
A born-again Christian, Sarah attended and participated in several protestant churches in Asheville.
She is survived by her three children, Deanna Joyce Gosnell Russell of Norwich, CT, Ann Marie Gosnell Nelson of Titusville, FL, and James Welman Gosnell, Jr. of Fayetteville, GA; eleven grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren; and a brother, George Barger.
Psalm 139:16 says: "God has ordained all of our days before there was yet even one". Sarah Barger Gosnell lived 41, 159 days on earth.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday in the Patton Ave. chapel of Groce Funeral Home, with the Rev. Keith Turman officiating. Interment will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
Ann and family – I was so sorry to hear about your mom, but what a long and wonderful life she lived. I will always have such good memories of her, especially when she and my mom (Oletta Sluder) worked together at Three Mountaineers. She was such a good friend to mama and was always so nice to me. She was definitely a special lady! You will all be in my thoughts and prayers.
Love, Elaine Sluder Ross
Dear Ann and Family So sorry to hear of your mothers passing. I have a lot of good memories about you mother when we were growing up at Craven Street Church. She was a dear lady and I know you all will miss her. You and the family are in my prayers.
Love, Judy Brown Cook
Dear Ann and Family So sorry to hear of your mothers passing. I have a lot of good memories about you mother when we were growing up at Craven Street Church. She was a dear lady and I know you all will miss her. You and the family are in my prayers.
Love, Judy Brown Cook
Deanna, Ann and family.May Gods Grace be with you in the loss of your mother.You probably don’t remember me since we haven’t seen each other since 1946! We were next door neighbors on Parkman Ave. in West Asheville and our mothers were good friends. I remember listening to your Dad and the quartet practice, birthday parties, and even my little sister biting Ann Maries’ finger ‘just to see what her would do’. (Mom spanked her) Precious memories! You are in my prayers ’til we meet again. Bless you all
Deanna, Ann and family.May Gods Grace be with you in the loss of your mother.You probably don’t remember me since we haven’t seen each other since 1946! We were next door neighbors on Parkman Ave. in West Asheville and our mothers were good friends. I remember listening to your Dad and the quartet practice, birthday parties, and even my little sister biting Ann Maries’ finger ‘just to see what her would do’. (Mom spanked her) Precious memories! You are in my prayers ’til we meet again. Bless you all
Ann, what a wonderful long life your Mother had. Now with my mother Mildred and her sister Laura gone and now your mother a great generation has passed. I understand the sadness and the relief hope all is well with you and your family Judy Fleming Ownbey
Ann, what a wonderful long life your Mother had. Now with my mother Mildred and her sister Laura gone and now your mother a great generation has passed. I understand the sadness and the relief hope all is well with you and your family Judy Fleming Ownbey