LEWISTON – Lifelong Lewiston resident, Edward “Eddie” Lester Koss died peacefully on Thursday, April 11, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was born in Lewiston on Nov. 30, 1932. His parents were Joseph and Reba Koss. He was predeceased by his sister Selma Holtz and hiis brother is Herbert Koss.

Eddie went to Edward Little High School, then Hebron Academy, and then Admiral Farragut in NJ. He was a lifetime shoe man. After high school, he was Vice President of Koss Shoe Company in Auburn with his brother Herb. The two were inseparable. Eddie owned the Shoe Rack in Auburn for many years and his wife, Gladys, ran it. When the tariff laws were changed, he manufactured shoes in the Dominican Republic. Eddie was drafted into the Navy and was stationed on a mine sweeper in Virginia. He went to Korea and was a veteran of the Korean War. After the war he came home to Lewiston-Auburn and went back to work at Koss Shoe. He was a pillar of the community and was known for being very generous – donating with his father to help out CMMC and sponsoring numerous softball, hockey, and baseball teams in the area. He was always quick to help local organizations as well as the Jewish community.

When he was 26, he met Gladys Pributsky at a party in Boston. Gladys was the love of his life and his soulmate. They had been married for 64 years.

Eddie was a people pleaser. He always had a big smile on his face and was always happy and upbeat. It didn’t matter who you were or what you did in life, he always said hi, asked about your life, and usually had some funny story to tell. He could walk into a bar not knowing a soul and within 15 minutes be chatting with people about anything. Eddie was a simple guy. He was a home body who didn’t like to travel but wanted to be around his family and friends. He loved to garden and had a green thumb that he passed on to his children.

His life was full of wonderful memories of big family dinners at his parents’ house in Auburn for the holidays. Eddie loved food and if you came to one of his parties, you left full and usually with food to go. Summers were spent at the beach in Pine Point with his brother’s family and his sister’s family. He would host large parties, and everyone always felt welcome. It was always a treat when his wife’s family came to visit, and he loved spending time with them. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren. He was very proud of their accomplishments.

He was very fortunate to have his son Charles and daughter Bonnie to help him out as he fell ill later in life. The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff of D’Youville at St. Mary’s for taking good care of him during his final few months.

He is survived by his wife, Gladys Koss; his brother Herbert Koss; his sons Charles and Jeffrey Koss, his daughter Bonnie Wilson; his granddaughters Olivia Koss and Molly Wilson and his grandsons Joseph Wilson, Joseph Koss, and Theo Melo Koss.

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