Genevieve Maye Aldrich Dawson-Goss

Genevieve Maye Aldrich or "Gen" as she was called, was born May 4, 1923 in the original hospital of the small town of, Norwich, NY. The oldest of three daughters, she was a bright, talented and giving person who always saw the good in others and would argue that she never met a truly "bad" person. Throughout her life she had a true passion for deeply understanding the human condition and dedicated herself to understanding, helping, mentoring, and counseling people. In High school she learned to play the Hawaiian guitar and performed at her Father, Raymont D. Aldrich's local Masonic lodge. After studying painting, ceramics and jewelry at the Syracuse University, school of fine arts in 1941, she began working as a technical illustrator, first in Sydney, New York, and finally in New York City. In New York City, around 1945, she married and opened a small custom ceramics shop in Greenwich Village. When her creative abilities impressed people in the jewelry scene of Greenwich Village, endeavors expanded to include silver and gold jewelry, she formed, in partnership with a close friend, the unique 45-1/2" wide "Silversmith of Greenwich Village" custom jewelry shop. She spent 10 years creating unique works of art from silver, gold, precious stones and other materials. An article in the 1963 Tampa Tribune wrote of her work "…Gen courted fame when she designed a diamond tiara for the court of Abyssinia and also created fine inlay wood designs for the interior decor of Joan Crawford's New York apartment…" In the late 1950s, Gen and her husband became Florida residents and in 1961 had their only child, Wade, in 1961. In the mid 60s, Gen spent several years travelling and "seeing the country" with her young son in a VW camper. Destinations included: the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco, the residence of infamous Harvard professor and activist, Timothy Leary, several communes in Mendocino CA, and Rockland County NY, as well as an engagement teaching jewelry making at one of the first Montessori / free schools in the US -- the Collaberg school in Stony Point, New York. Enjoying this, Gen continued her teaching work at the St. Petersburg FL based, "Sunflower School" for several years. At 55 years of age, Gen decided to undertake studies to become a nurse and began a 16-year nursing career in 1978, working in New York and Florida as an RN. In 1981, her interest in helping people compelled her to become a licensed massage therapist where she worked locally and abroad. In 1983, she met her surviving husband, Guy Goss, of Clearwater, FL, with whom she remained happily married until her passing. She always had a high regard for "Mother Earth," ecology and human / animal rights, and as such contributed to many related charities and organizations. In her retirement, she and her husband, Guy, took up the art of stained glass. Genevieve was an amazingly vibrant, trusting, loving and giving person whose positive influence and endless patience helped so many people in countless ways - those of us that can call her Mother, Wife, Sister, Aunt or even friend, are truly some of the luckiest people living. Thank you for being in our lives, Genevieve!