Stephen Gosnell

Stephen James Gosnell, 71, passed away peacefully in his home on May 26, 2012. He was born in Alhambra, CA, on Feb. 15, 1941, and attended the University of Texas, where he studied comparative literature. He moved to New York City to study art and art history at Cooper Union. In 1961 he married Nelda Younger. After completing his studies at Cooper Union, Stephen and his family moved to Buffalo, NY, where he completed a Master’s degree at SUNY. Subsequently, he taught art and art history at UMKC for over 33 years before retiring in 2002 as Professor Emeritus. Nelda died in 1982. Stephen cared for his two children, Anna and Andrew for 3 years and then married Mary Lou Pagano in 1985. Stephen was a true Renaissance man. He was known for his intellect, sense of humor, curiosity, storytelling and singing the blues while playing his guitars. He also loved entertaining in his home. In retirement, he enjoyed camping, fishing, gardening, biking, bird- watching, creating paintings and building guitars.