Family Behind Gosch Ford Temecula Getting Tennis, Pickleball Honors

HEMET, CA — The Gosch name is familiar in Southwest Riverside County due to a number of auto dealerships bearing the moniker, including Gosch Ford Temecula at 26895 Ynez Road.

But now tennis and pickleball courts at Jim Venable Exchange Club Park in the Valle Vista area of Hemet will be dedicated to the Gosch Family. What gives?

Turns out the family patriarch was an ardent tennis fan, and the Goschs helped get the park built.

The dedication takes place at 9 a.m. Oct. 14 at the park located at 26384 Fairview Ave. The event is free to attend. Participants will likely hear more about why the Gosch family is integral to the park — and the courts — but here's a bit of background, according to Gosch Auto Group:

After 11 years with Ford Motor Company in Los Angeles, Jack Gosch wanted to become a car dealer. So in 1964 he spotted a Hemet dealership for sale and founded Jack Gosch Ford. The business started with just 12 employees in downtown Hemet's Loomis Turkey hatchery building.

In 1970, he expanded and built a new dealership at the corner of Florida Avenue and Dartmouth Street in the city, and in 1972 he opened Gosch Toyota next door. By the early 1980s, his sons Eric and Marc joined the business.

Jack's empire was more than auto dealerships. He opened a Hemet Taco Bell in 1969 and The Bank of Hemet in 1974.

But his apparent true calling was cars. In the mid-80s — with the area booming — Jack convinced six Hemet auto dealers to join together. Without an outside developer's help, he spent five years planning the Hemet Auto Mall. The mall still stands.

Today, the Gosch family owns auto dealerships in Hemet, Temecula and Escondido.

Here's where sport comes in: Jack was a lifetime tennis player until he had to have both hips replaced. He took up golf, and in 2003 at 73 years old he made headlines by hitting back-to-back holes-in-one at Sunrise Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

Jack passed away in 2013, but his legacy lives on in Southwest Riverside County. Gosch family members are longtime supporters of the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District and Friends of Valley-Wide Foundation, which provided contributions that helped fund construction of Jim Venable Exchange Club Park. The facility opened in 2020.

During the Oct. 14 dedication, there may be a Gosch or two on hand for the ceremony. Marc and Eric continue to lead Gosch Auto Group and their sons, Patrick and Matthew, are continuing with the family business.