Obituary of John Leslie Gohsman, Jr.
Age 61, of South Bend, Indiana, passed away Saturday, November 13, 2021, at home with his family by his side. A Funeral Service will take place at 11:00 am, Friday, November 19, 2021, at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Richville. Pastor Wes Gillespie to officiate, with burial to follow at St. Michael’s Lutheran Cemetery. John’s family will be present to receive guests from 12:00 noon until 2:00 pm and again from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm, on Thursday, November 18, 2021, at Martin Funeral, Cremation & Tribute Services in Vassar. On Friday morning, John will be taken to church to lie in state from 10:00 am until the time of service at 11:00 am. Memorial contributions may be considered in lieu of flowers, to The Lou and Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute (MBTI) at Northwestern Medicine Memorial Foundation using this link:https://secure2.convio.net/nmhc/site/Donation2?df_id=2400&mfc_pref=T&2400.donation=form1 (Under Honor/Memorial Information please enter in Memory of John Gohsman). Expressions of sympathy can be placed on John’s tribute page at martinfuneralhome.com.
John was born in Saginaw on September 23, 1960, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John and Irene (Bekemeier) Gohsman. Educated locally, John graduated from Vassar High School with the Class of 1978. He went on to further his education and obtained his bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University in 1983. John married the love of his life, Mary Nutter, on November 1, 1986, at the United Methodist Church in Northville, Michigan. John began his career at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in administrative information technology working his way up to Executive Director, Strategy, Planning, and Solutions. After 30 years at the University of Michigan, John pursued a new position at Washington University in St. Louis, where he worked for 4 years as Vice-Chancellor of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer overseeing the academic, research, and computing services. John then took a position with the University of Notre Dame, where he has spent the last few years, as Vice President of Information Technology and CIO. He enjoyed mentoring other IT leaders and was a well-respected leader in his field of work. John was an avid golfer and enjoyed many aspects of the sport including watching tournaments in person and on TV. His annual golf trip to Florida with his sons, buddies, and friends was one of his favorite things to do. John and Mary would travel to golf in different places with relatives and friends. Of all the places Mary and John traveled to, their favorite places were Israel, Jordan, and Hawaii. He also enjoyed renting a cabin on Lake Michigan in the middle of nowhere to get away. John loved his family and loved spending time with them. He took his sons to several Michigan basketball games. He was a Michigan and Notre Dame football fan. When his sons were younger he coached their sports teams from t-ball to golf to basketball and baseball. John never missed a family reunion and he spoke to his mother, Irene, on the phone almost every night. In his free time, John loved reading, including mysteries, history, and spy books. He was always looking to improve himself by reading about leadership and professional development. He enjoyed reading science fiction books with his sons.
John is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Mary Gohsman; sons: Aaron Gohsman, Evan Gohsman; mother, Irene Gohsman; brother: Kirk and wife, Ashley Gohsman; favorite niece, Kylie and husband, Kent Hodges; mother-in-law, Helen Nutter; great-niece: Lucia Hodges; and several uncles, aunts, cousins, family members, and friends.
John was preceded in death by his father, John Gohsman, Sr.; father-in-law, DeWayne Nutter.