Glenn F. 'Gos' Gostick
Jan. 17, 1928 — March 15, 2011
MONTROSE — Well known baseball historian extraordinaire, Glenn “Gos” Gostick, died at age 83 on March 15, 2011, at his home in Montrose, Colo. Born to Glenn and Bessie (Borseth) Gostick, he lived in Minneapolis from birth until his move to Colorado in 2009 to live near his nephew, Dr. Glenn Oren. After graduating high school, he joined the Army to play baseball in Japan winning the All-Pacific Area Championship. Gos attended the University of Minnesota graduating in 1952 in physical therapy and 1961 in physical education. A lifetime devoted to sports, he worked for the Minnesota Twins baseball team; umpired college, high school and amateur baseball; was advisor and coach to both the Swedish and Dutch national baseball associations in their organizational infancy; was an instructor, assistant coach and trainer at the Univ. of Minnesota and Case Institute of Technology, Ohio; player and coach in semi-pro baseball leagues in Minnesota and South Dakota. As a trainer, he worked with the U.S. National Jr. Hockey Team in Sweden and Poland; with the Jr. North Stars, Minnesota Fighting Saints, New York Yankee Minor League, and many others. As a physical therapist, he worked at North Memorial Hospital, Sheltering Arms Hospital (polio) and orthopaedic groups in Minneapolis. Gos was well known for baseball statistics, all hand written, and often sent them to friends and family members as a “hello” with no letter of explanation. He was a walking encyclopedia of baseball trivia and published a book on high school coaching. A dapper dresser, in tweeds and plaids, he loved the holidays and was “Mr. Santa Claus” in red and green holly pants and candy cane bowties. A bachelor, he enjoyed his six nephews and nieces and their families.
He was preceded in death by his two sisters, Helen Oren and Lillian Read. At his direction, there will be no service or memorial, and he donated his body to the University of Colorado medical school. As many knew, his greeting to everyone was, “Give me a letter of the alphabet” and he would quote from Ogden Nash’s poem “Line-Up from Yesterday.” You could continue to give him a new letter, but he said he would charge after three. So one last baseball quote to sum up Gos, the letter “I”, “I is for Me, Not a hard-hitting man, But an outstanding all-time, Incurable fan.”
Arrangements are under the direction of Crippin Funeral Home, 802 E. Main St., Montrose, CO 81401 (970) 249-2121.
