Winkler and Virgina Gosch: Love & Generosity
Winkler and Virginia Dietz Gosch were inseparable, and proverbial opposites. Theirs was the kind of love that songs were written about.For the Gosches, establishing a fund with The Foundation was a way to know that their plans, their causes and their dreams wouldn't end with their deaths, but would continue.
Winkler and Virginia Dietz Gosch were inseparable, and proverbial opposites. He, tall with a gruff exterior; she, petite with a voice that brought to mind a nightingale. Theirs was the kind of love that songs were written about—literally. Although Winkler was a ham radio operator he was also a part-time songwriter, scripting sweet ballads of dreams and love, lost and found.
When Virginia died on New Year's Eve in 1999, a part of Winkler went with her. He sprinkled her ashes around a favorite tree behind their home, which they built out of view from even their neighbors. When Winkler died nearly six years later, the home was sold and his ashes were sprinkled around the same tree. In life and death, they created a world that was theirs alone.
It was also a world without heirs, as the couple had no children. Still, Winkler and Virginia Gosch's names live on nearly a century after their births, thanks to the couple's $2.1 million bequest to The Community Foundation in 2006. Miriam G. Olsen, assistant vice president of the Trust Company of Connecticut, remembers the couple fondly.
"I met them when they were getting older, but you could still see their love for each other," Olsen said. "When Virginia died, you could tell how heartbroken he was. He kept all these pictures of Virginia at the convalescent home. But still, he had a wicked sense of humor, and everyone loved him."
Through the Trust Company, a division of NewAlliance Bank, Olsen assisted with the administration of the Gosch's trust, which was established for them during their lives. Upon their deaths, the trust was continued through a bequest to The Community Foundation, establishing in 2006 the Winkler C. Gosch and Virginia D. Gosch Fund. The fund serves a variety of wildlife and environmental interests, including Friends of Animals, the Connecticut Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy.
For the Gosches, establishing a fund with The Foundation was a way to know that their plans, their causes and their dreams wouldn't end with their deaths, but would continue. And there were practical reasons as well.
"I remember telling Virginia and Winkler," Olsen says, "that this is the way to continue to support your causes forever and to have your legacy connected to your community."
You too can create a lasting legacy through a permanent endowment that benefits your community for generations. To learn more, please email Sharon Cappetta or call 203-777-7071.
