David Michael Gozelski was born on December 11, 1948 to parents William and Johanna Strauss Gozelski. He died on June 2, 1956 in Hornell, New York while in 3rd grade. His family was living in Hornell at the time.
He is buried in Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury, New York along with his older brother James, who died in childbirth in 1938. Both are buried in a plot along with their Aunt Lillian, her husband John, John's father Adolph, and a long-time worker on the Northport farm named John.
The story of his death as reported by the Elmira Star-Gazette appears below.
Boy, 8, Drowns at Arkport
Youth at Play Slips On Dam Spillway
HORNELL—David Gozelski, 8, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Gozelski of Hornell RD2, was drowned Saturday afternoon while playing with a companion on the Arkport dam.
The dam is about six miles north of here. Steuben County sheriff's deputies said David and his chum, William Jamison, 9, were playing on the dam spillway. Both were wearing sneakers.
David slipped on some mossy substance and fell into the water, which was about 10 feet deep at the spillway.
Attempts Rescue
His young companion tried to reach David, but was unable to grasp hold of the boy struggling in the water.
Seeing his rescue attempts would be futile, William climbed the 40-foot ladder to the top of the spillway and rode his bicycle into Arkport, about a half-mile away, for help.
The lad's mother, Mrs. Marion Jamison, operates a restaurant at Arkport. Two truck drivers in the restaurant at the time drove to the dam. They were Benjamin Luce and Norman Pratt Jr, drivers for the McBride Trucking Co, of Canaseraga.
Pratt dove into the water and pulled the boy out. The two men worked over the boy until the arrival of an ambulance from the Hornell Fire Department.
Respiration Attempts Fail
Meanwhile, the Steuben sheriff's department, Dr. Paul Wolfgruber of Arkport and the Rev. Leo Mans of St. Ann's Church, Hornell, were summoned to the scene, as was Dr. Richard E. Travis of Hornell, county coroner.
Fire Chief Frances Kinnerney of Hornell arrived with an emergency truck and artificial respiration was applied for about 45 minutes. The boy was pronounced dead by Dr. Wolfgruber at 1:30 pm.
Dr. Travis has issued a certificate of accidental death by drowning. The body was taken to the Lloyd's funeral home at Hornell.
Assisting in the investigation was Lyle Norton of Arkport, police officer for Arkport and North Hornell.
William Jamison, the friend who was with David at the time, still lives in Arkport, about one mile from the dam.