October 15th, 1945 - June 26th, 2024
Mary Lee Gosney was born and raised in Northern Kentucky. She was the second of 3 children born to Hallie and Fulton Gosney of Alexandria KY. She died June 26, 2024 after suffering a devastating heart attack. Mary was preceded in death by her older sister Louise. She is survived by her brother Robert who lives in Kentucky and her wife, Becky, who lives in Idyllwild.
Mary graduated from the University of Kentucky, receiving her B.A in 1967 and her M.S. in Library Science in 1971. After her undergrad time, she was a Vista volunteer in Georgia and Alabama. She worked as a librarian for the Veterans Administration first in Erie PA and then at the VA hospital in San Francisco. In 1978 she graduated from the UC Berkeley Law School where she served as Editor in Chief of the Industrial Relations Law Journal. She worked as a Judicial Research Attorney for Justice Tamura at the Fourth District Court of Appeal from 1978 through 1981. She was in private practice from 1982 to 1986 and then did freelance research and writing for Riverside area attorneys until she returned to the Fourth District Court of Appeal as a staff attorney where she remained until her retirement.
Throughout her life Mary was an active supporter of progressive organizations. She was generous both with individuals and with charitable organizations. She was a lifelong reader and believed in the power of being a well-informed citizen.
Mary and I met in 1993 at a Lesbians in Law picnic. We first described ourselves as life partners, then domestic partners and finally a married couple in October, 2008. I consider myself to be the luckiest of persons to be her wife.
