Obituary of Fania "Fanny" Goose

On April 13th, 2020, in her 99th year (we think), Fania Gusz (Goose) at Richmond Woods Retirement Home, passed due to congestive heart failure. Wife to husband and business partner Jerry (2012) for more than 65 years; mother to sons Steve Goose Garrison (Michelle Campbell) of London, and Martin Goose (Heather) of Toronto. Bubbie to grandchildren Rebecca Weiss (Mikey) of New York, Michael (Jaime) of New York, and Danielle (Stuart) Turk of Toronto. Blessed with great grandchildren: Serena, Dylan, Nathan, Lexi, Jake and Brody. Special aunt to nephew Marvin Schlanger (Eva) of New Jersey. Fanny fully embraced life with an indomitable spirit and hopefulness that inspired others. She was affectionately known as "Mother Goose" to many; and, with that moniker, she took great joy in helping anyone she could throughout her remarkable life. Born Fania Steinbock in Skalat, Poland, Fanny enjoyed a blissful childhood growing up with older sister, Pearl, until the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. What followed was a period of inconceivable strife marked by the tragic loss of her family -- an experience she chronicled in her 2007 autobiography, Rising from the Holocaust: The Life of Fanny Goose. She survived the war through the selfless generosity of others, people who put themselves at great risk to help her to survive. When the war finally ended, Fanny returned home to find her family and her entire community destroyed. Thankfully, sister Pearl survived, having escaped to the US. Her fortunes changed when she met a "tall, thin and good-looking" soldier. They talked while waiting for a train, exchanging their experiences and discovering they were both alone in the world. The tall soldier was Jerzy Gusz, a young man who had fought with both the underground Partisans and the Russian army after losing his own large family to the Nazis. Both shared a dream of leaving Europe to start a new life. A few days later, Jerzy returned with documents, and offered Fanny a chance to leave. Twenty-four hours later, on May 15, 1945, they married and escaped Poland to begin a new life together. Their luck brought them to Canada in 1949, and to a life where Fanny and Jerry found political and religious freedom, a retail business that thrived for more than 50 years in downtown London, and the blessing of building a family that has now extended to four generations. A savvy businesswoman with a gift for sales, Fanny became known in London as the "First Lady of Downtown", for her stalwart support of the downtown core that she considered the heart of her community. Downtown was where she and Jerry ran their well-known shop, J Goose Family Clothing, and later J & F Realty, a residential and commercial enterprise that continues to this day. Fanny’s commitment to downtown London development, led her to tenaciously fight for the location of the Budweiser Gardens in the core, among other projects. The Liberal Party provided Fanny an outlet for expressing her passion for an open, free political process, the exchange of ideas, and for helping new Canadians. She was a lifelong, active member and held the ear of many premiers and prime ministers. Making a visit to see Fanny in the store before a municipal, provincial or even federal run was a pilgrimage for candidates to receive sage political advice from someone who always seemed to know the pulse of the community. The many kindnesses shown her during the war caused Fanny to always have a hopeful, optimistic attitude she shared with others. The J. Goose Family Clothing store became a community ‘hub’ where people could go for advice, for help finding a job or an apartment, or engaging conversation about local matters. A frequent visitor was her dear friend and retail colleague, Fred Kingsmill, with whom she shared ‘the sunny side of Dundas Street’. Fanny’s optimistic outlook on life continued to the present-day pandemic crisis, throughout which she counselled family and friends to stay positive, telling everyone, "we will dance again". Though she didn’t dwell in the past, Fanny was determined to be a witness to the horror that was the Holocaust, and in 1996, she and Jerry’s experiences were formally documented as part of Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust video project, the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. For as long as she was able, she humbly participated in the London Jewish Community’s Yom Hashoah Remembrance Ceremonies; she was one of the last remaining Holocaust survivors in London. Fanny’s community involvement included: Orchestra London, the Downtown Business Association, Hadassah, and the East London Business Association. In 2004, she and husband Jerry were honoured by the Jewish National Fund for their contributions to Jewish life in London. In 2013, she proudly accepted the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Medal for her community service. The family extends its grateful appreciation to the staff of Richmond Woods Retirement Home and to Fanny’s loyal and skilled caregivers: Sandra, Maureen, Vivian and Christina. A private family service in the Jewish tradition will be held on April 17. Fanny loved celebrations, and a public celebration of her spirited life will be held later in the year. Logan Funeral Home, (519) 433-6181, entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences can be expressed at www.loganfh.ca Those wishing to consider a charitable gift in celebration of Fanny’s remarkable life and memory, are encouraged to consider The Fanny & Jerry Goose Endowment at St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation of London (sjhcfoundation.org), which honours the many years of compassionate care both Fanny and Jerry gratefully received from Dr. Michael Borrie at St. Joseph’s Parkwood Institute. It would be impossible not to give Fanny the last word here, and the most appropriate words come from the concluding lines of her 2007 autobiography: "I am simply grateful for all of God’s blessings and for the fruit that has been borne in my life; I cherish my family, my friends, and my community. I have loved being able to play a supportive role in the life of my city, and hope that I have made a difference. I have done my best." Services: Service Date Friday, April 17, 2020 Burial Location Or Shalom Cemetery, London, ON Requested Charity The Fanny & Jerry Goose Endowment at St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation of London