October 30, 1939 ~ May 30, 2025 (age 85)
John Mitchell “Johnny” Goss passed away Friday, May 30, 2025 at his home in Tallulah, Louisiana, with his daughter and beloved companion, Calico, by his side. He lived his entire happy and active 85 years of life in Tallulah where he was born October 30, 1939, to Lemuel Curtis “L.C.” and Mary Ruth Reid Goss.
Johnny spent the first 14 years of his professional life as an Ag Pilot and then turned to farming until his retirement when he rented his land. Virtually everyone in his hometown, however, will tell you that Johnny’s real occupation was being Tallulah’s unofficial “Ambassador of Joy.” Johnny, affectionately known as “Salt Meat” never greeted anyone with merely a hello; rather he would relate a string of jokes and one liners, or pull out a wad of papers with cartoons relative to whatever was currently happening in the world, all of them hilariously inappropriate. If you happened to pass anyone with Johnny, you were sure to see them both laughing. In recent years, though, woven in with the expected jokes were pictures and tales of his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. There was no doubt that Johnny’s family was the most important thing in the world to him. He had, as well, a lighthearted way of making sure his friends knew how important they were to him. Johnny managed also to draw from a bank of stories relating to his absolutely favorite pastime of hunting. The highlight of all these adventures was the trip he took with friends to Canada where he killed a 21- point buck, a most impressive souvenir. It will be hard to find anyone of any generation in Tallulah today who does not have a favorite “Johnny” quote or anecdote that will always linger as a favorite memory.
Johnny is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Sylvia Franz. He is survived by his three daughters, Christi Purvis (Robert), Sheila Mayberry (Dave), and Valerie Goss; five grandchildren, J.T. O’Dell, Kaitlyn O’Dell, Cody Thornton, John Curtis Thornton, and Gracie Knight; three great grandchildren, Amelia King, Krewz Thompson, and Bentley Cormier; several nieces, nephews, and cousins; his beloved cat, Calico; and numerous friends.
Funeral services for Johnny were held at Crothers Glenwood Funeral Home. Visitation was Sunday, June 1, 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. The the funeral service was Monday, June 2, 2025 at 2:00 PM with Minister Jim Sanders officiating. A private family burial followed at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tallulah.
Pallbearers will be J.T. O’Dell, John Curtis Thornton, Robert Purvis, Chris Thornton, Cody Thornton, Ryan Hodge, Randy Dukes, Korey Olivoe, and Teddy Oliver. Honorary pallbearers are Bill Querrey, Eddie Reid, William Scott, Ronnie Kennedy, Jerry Fuller, Raymond Pryor, and Christian Thornton.
The family would like to send a special thank you to Crossroads Hospice, Legacy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and sitters, Jackie, Minda, Shay, and Julia for all the loving care and comfort they gave to Johnny.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to your favorite charity or Sandy’s Feral Fun Cat Sanctuary; 2340 FM 2729; Whitewright, TX 75491, PayPal Mangomiata2@yahoo.com, Venmo Sandra Estes@mangomiata, Cash app Sandy’s Feral Fun$mangomiata.
