‘He was a hero’: widow remembers Alberta man killed in workplace incident

EDMONTON – An Alberta woman wants her husband to be remembered as a hero, after he was killed in a workplace incident near Redwater.

Kenneth Goss was killed on June 2 at Agrium’s Redwater Fertilizer Operations. He and another worker were working with phosphate rock when Goss was buried. The 30-year-old had been working there for nearly 10 years.

READ MORE: Investigation underway after workplace fatality at fertilizer operations plant north of Edmonton

Over the last decade, Goss was also a volunteer firefighter with the Redwater Fire Department.

“He deserved to live a heroes’ life, because he was a hero,” said his widow, Shawna Goss, who recounted the times he saved her after she tried to take her own life.

Shawna Goss said her husband lived and breathed firefighting and helping others, responding to calls from a cat stuck in a tree, to traffic collisions.

“He was a person who saved people’s lives, he made sure people were safe, even if he didn’t know them,” she told Global News. “He (did) it for the passion, and not the money.”

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The couple bought their home just up the street from the fire station, so Goss could respond to emergencies quicker.

The 30-year-old also had a passion for woodwork, mechanics, video games and safety. In total, he had more than 20 safety certifications that he carried around in a separate wallet. There were so many, they didn’t fit in his everyday case. His basement workshop even has its own first aid and safety station.

“There was no part of his life where he was unsafe,” Shawna Goss said through tears.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There was no part of his life where he was unsafe," Shawna Goss said through tears.

Occupational Health and Safety is looking into the incident at the plant and Shawna Goss is waiting for any answers on what led to her husband’s death.

“I don’t want anyone to feel the way I feel ever again, especially being 27 and being a widow,” Shawna Goss said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I don't want anyone to feel the way I feel ever again, especially being 27 and being a widow," Shawna Goss said.

All she has left of her husband is his wedding ring which she wears on a necklace. On her finger is her own wedding band, her engagement ring and a promise ring he gave her on their second date, knowing it was too early to propose, but wanting to make a commitment to her.

The 27-year-old calls what they had “puppy love” even after seven years together.

“No matter what I do or what I say it won’t bring him back. He was my soulmate.”

The funeral for Kenneth Goss will take place on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 1 p.m. at Pembina Place in Redwater. To honour the volunteer Leiutenant, there will be a firefighter honour guard.