Col. John H. Gossner USAF

John Haynes Gossner was born on April 12, 1944, in Fabius, New York. He left us on October 17, 2024. He was preceded in death by his parents, John E. and Joyce Gossner, and brothers Jimmy and Joel. Survivors include his wife, Robbie; son, Andy and wife, Nancy of Norman, OK; grandchildren Tatum of Norman, OK, Larissa of Inlet Beach, FL; Chase, Reagan and great-grandchild, Emma Ruth of Blanchard, OK. He is also survived by five brothers, Jerry and wife, Carole, of Aurora, CO; Jody and wife, Terry, of Placerville, CA; Jan and wife, Debbie, of Corvallis, MT; Jeff and wife, Sherry, of Peachtree City, GA; and Jesse and wife, Susan, of Colorado Springs, CO.

 His life-long dream of being a pilot was achieved in 1967 when he joined the Air Force, where he served for 26 years, retiring as Colonel in 1993. John graduated from High School in Savannah, Georgia, in 1962. Five years later, in 1967, he graduated from Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo with a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering. In August 1967, he entered Officer Training School (OTS) at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He then completed pilot training in Big Spring, Texas. John was always learning and did several classes via correspondence: Squadron Officer School in 1973, and Air Command & Staff College in 1978. John and Robbie were married in May 1976 and lived in Newport News, Virginia, while they were assigned to Langley Air Force Base. During the next years he served his country in Vietnam and various bases in: California, Hawaii, Illinois, North Carolina, Philippines, Taiwan, Virginia and Washington, DC. While in the Philippines at Clark Air Force Base where John worked, and achieved, a Masters in Management through the University of Southern California (with Robbie typing his papers). While in Washington, DC, John worked on several ‘secret’ operations before retiring in August 1993. After retirement from the Air Force, he worked for Northrop Grumman for several years, retiring in 2010. 

 A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Thursday, October 24, at Tribute Memorial Care’s Chapel in Norman, OK. Condolences may be shared at www.tribute.care.