My grandfather passed away today

Nov. 12, 2001 | 91B

[91B]

My grandfather Samuel Carter Gouge passed away this afternoon at the VA hospital in Asheville, NC. With JimRob's indulgence I would like to post a brief obituary here on FR where it can be read by the finest collection of patriots I can think of.

Sam C. Gouge of Bakersville, NC died today at the Veteran's Administration hospital in Asheville, he was 85. Born in 1916 and named for his grandfather, a Civil war veteran of the third NC mounted infantry regiment of the Army of the Cumberland, Gouge was the son of a veteran of the Phillipine campaign in the Spanish-American war.

He graduated from Tipton Hill high school where he played basketball and baseball and worked in Gates City, Virginia until being drafted into the Army in 1942.

After training at Camp Wheeler in Macon, Georgia Gouge was sent overseas to Italy where he served with the 88th Infantry division. In November of 1944 Gouge was wounded in combat and evacuated to France where he served out the remainder of the war. Gouge earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal and European, Mediterranean and North African campaign medal.

Upon leaving the service in 1946 Gouge, a lifelong Republican, was elected Sheriff of Mitchell County, NC-a post he would hold until 1966. Gouge would consistently win reelection to office, often without opposition.

Gouge was a 2 handicap golfer and in the early 1970s he won the club championship at Grassy Creek Country Club-the Rhodedendron open.

Sam Gouge was an avid Republican partisan and he served on the NC state board of corrections during the administration of Gov. Jim Martin. He leaves behind his wife, Lois Gouge, three daughters, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

[GretchenEE]

91B, here is the photo you Emailed of your beloved grandfather, Samuel Carter Gouge. What age was he in this photo, if you know?

[Fiddlstix]

God Be with you.

[Fiddlstix]

Thanks for the Ping

[sistergoldenhair]

Thanks.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[glock rocks]

there's one for the mantle... what a great photo.

thanks for sharing.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

My warmest regards to you 91B. God has another helper in heaven. God Bless you & yours.

[MistyCA]

Terrific picture of your granddad. Sorry for your loss.

[Snow Bunny]

What a wonderful picture of your Grandfather 91B. Thank you for posting it GretchenEE.

[mafree]

Thanks for the ping- nice picture of a true patriot. Hope you and your family are doing well 91B.

[manna]

That's a great picture, thanks for the flag. My condolences to you and your family, 91B.

[potlatch]

Thanks for posting that wonderful picture - a handsome man in the prime of his life. We are losing all of our World War 2 veterans at a rate of 10 thousand a day! That hardly sounds possible, but I read it somewhere recently.
91B, when you posted this article, I wrote you about my father-in-law, and a dear friend, who was an Army nurse that had both died recently. Well, my friends husband [WW2-Navy] died two weeks after her. Remember, they are always 'here' as long as we have them in our hearts.

[gulfcoast6]

And on that wonderful day you will be united with him heaven.