Elsie Ray Goss

Elsie spent her childhood years with her siblings, helping with the family's grocery store, gardening, and cooking. Elsie's fondest early memories were playing with her sisters outdoors creating dolls with tobacco and other things they found in nature. Elsie was educated in Wake and Durham County public schools, and her earliest ambitions were to teach and educate others.

At 20 years old, while at Walgreens, Elsie met her husband of 68 years, Rev. John Childress Goss. When they met, John was serving in the US Navy. Elsie cherished the many years of nurturing their four children and teaching them about the love of Jesus. Elsie modeled the description of a mother in Proverbs 31 with wisdom, diligence, compassion, faithfulness, and enormous love. Elsie fulfilled her earliest ambitions of teaching with her husband by serving faithfully alongside him in the ministry as he pastored various Free Will Baptist churches in North and South Carolina. Elsie loved being a pastor's wife, singing in the choir, working in Women and Children's ministries, Vacation Bible School, teaching in Sunday School, and hosting visiting pastors - sharing with them her hospitality in her home with many home cooked meals. Her enjoyment for working with children was displayed when she had opportunities to teach preschool and care for babies in her home. Throughout many years, Elsie instilled Christian values within all of her family, friends, and community.

Elsie's greatest joy in life was spending time with her family, known affectionately by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as "Nannie". Every special occasion was filled with Elsie's home cooked meals, cakes, and desserts. She also showed Christ's love as she would sit with the sick and prepare many meals for those experiencing difficult times. In her senior years, Elsie continued to minister to others through her encouraging phone calls and cards. After serving in the ministry, Elsie faithfully attended Pleasant Plains Baptist Church, until her declining health prevented her from attending. Elsie's greatest legacy was her Christian faith and passing her faith to her family and loved ones.

Elsie's last recorded words to her family during her last week in the hospital were, "Always be a good person, always love Jesus, and keep on going to church."

Elsie is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Clellon, Jack, Graham, Connie Lee, twins KB and GC; sisters Mary Ann and Marie; her husband, John C. Goss, and her great-grandchild, Baby Joseph-Stephen Baker.

Elsie is survived by her four children, John C. Goss Jr., Connie Goss Taylor (Alan), Phillip Goss, Phyllis Goss Baker (Kenneth); grandchildren, Allyson Vaskey (Cole), Timothy Taylor (Traci), Brittany Bird (Josh), Brandon Goss (Rachel), Kenneth Baker II (Megan), Andrew Baker (Aubreigh), and Samuel Baker; great-grandchildren, Everly, Caden, Savannah Vaskey, Aiden Goss, Raelynne Goss, Anastasia Baker, Lillian and Judah Baker; brother-in-law, Larry Goss; sister-in-law, Irene Goss; and several nieces and nephews, with special affection to Donna, Gloria, Barbera, Sandy, and Karen. Thank you to Donna Hankins, Madge Hinsley, and Della Kolikas for your loving enduring friendship to our mother.

To the world she was one but to us, her family, she was all the world.

A visitation will be held at Apex Funeral Home, on Sunday, June 28, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, followed by the Funeral Service at 3:00 pm.