​Vernon L. Gauss Jr., 67

Vernon L. Gauss, Jr., age 67, of Kingsville, passed away on March 24, 2017, at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson. Born in Baltimore, he was the son of the late Vernon L. Gauss Sr. and Mae (Hardesty) Gauss.

Mr. Gauss is survived by his beloved wife of 48 years, Sharon (Fisher) Gauss; his two daughters, Michelle Mae Gauss of Havre de Grace and Pamela Ann Gostomski and husband, Frank, of Forest Hill; his grandchildren, Eric M. Kling of Aberdeen, Amy M. Kling of Havre de Grace, Paige A. Gostomski and Frankie E. Gostomski III, both of Forest Hill; stepmother, Barbara Gauss of New Port Richey, Florida; stepsisters, Sheila Hare and Sharon Dixon, both of Naples, Florida; half-brother, Kurt B. Gauss of Maryland; and cousins Wayne Hardesty Sr. of Phoenix, Maryland, and Wayne Hardesty Jr. of Sykesville, Maryland (Godson).

A 1968 graduate of Parkville High School, Mr. Gauss was a small business owner and partner in the greater Baltimore area for more than 30 years. A master plumber by trade, he began his career with Burgemeister-Bell Inc. in 1965 and eventually took over his father's company, Vernon L. Gauss Heating and Plumbing, which he ran until his retirement in 2004.

Mr. Gauss was an active member of the community, serving a multitude of roles in professional, political, and philanthropic organizations. In addition to serving on or advising nearly a dozen professional committees and organizations, including the MD Homebuilders' Association, the MD State Plumbing Board, the Harford County Plumbing Board, and the Harford County Department of Public Works, he was an active member of the Maryland Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association since 1981, serving in every leadership position. For more than 20 years, Mr. Gauss was a committed member of the local Republican community, tirelessly campaigning for local candidates, including former Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich and seated Maryland State Senator Wayne Norman. He served as a member of both the Harford County Liquor Board and the Harford County Republican Central Committee, chairing multiple committees during his tenure.

An avid sportsman and outdoorsman, Mr. Gauss was an active member of both the National Rifle Association and Ducks Unlimited, and had recently become involved with forestry conservation in Western Maryland. He spent more than 40 years traveling to his favorite place, Green Ridge State Forest in Western Maryland, to hunt, camp, and hike with his family as well as with his hunting club, The Green Ridge Hunters, of which he was a founding member.

Visitation will be held at the McComas Funeral Home in Abingdon on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and on Thursday, March 30, 2017 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.

Services will be held at the funeral home on Friday, March 31, 2017, at 11 a.m.

Interment will take place at Highview Memorial Gardens in Fallston.

In honor of Vernon's deep love for the natural beauty of Maryland, those who desire may contribute to her protection and preservation by sending donations in Vernon's name to Allegany County Forestry Board, 14110 Pleasant Valley Rd., Flintstone, MD 21530 (note "Green Ridge State Forest, for Vernon" in the memo line).

Condolences may be left on the guestbook at mccomasfuneralhome.com.

"The mountains are calling, and I must go."

—Obituary and service information from McComas Funeral Home