Chip Fossa obituary

[Larry Williams]

Al Rosati, a fellow musician and close friend of Chip Fossa's for more than 60 years, has written an obituary for publication here and on his high school graduation class's website. Here it is:

John C. “Chip” Fossa, who divided his time between plumbing and playing steel guitar, died Jan. 4 at Berkshire Rehabilitation Center in Sandisfield, Mass., eight years after suffering a debilitating stroke. He would have turned 73 on Jan. 24. He was the first child of John Fossa and Bernadette Seymour of Springfield. He was predeceased by his brother, Dick. He is survived by his sister, Mary Boyce, and her husband, Daniel, and three nieces.

As a youngster and through his teens, Chip’s first love was baseball. He also embraced the guitar and folk music. He also became a plumber, learning the trade as an apprentice to Stanley S. Skiba, who ran a plumbing business in Longmeadow for many years. A 1964 graduate of Longmeadow High school, Chip moved to Cape Cod in the early 1970s where he discovered a new instrument, the steel guitar. He worked as a plumber and played in bands at local night spots.

After a while Chip moved to Colorado. On his western journey, music became a bigger part of his life. It was out west, where country music was more popular, that his love of the pedal steel blossomed. Chip played in a several bands, including Willy and the Tailgaters, who performed such hits as "Let’s Get the Cowboys Out of the Bedrooms (and Back on Their Horses Again)." He later joined Joe King and the Infamous Lost Posse. They traveled to many states in the far west and even venturing to Canada and Alaska. One of the songs they recorded, written by Joe King, made the Billboard country chart.

Picking and a plumbing, Chip made his way to Washington state, settling on Bainbridge Island until 1985. Since his parents were getting on, he felt the pull to return home. He joined an old high school friend, Joe Chiusano, also a plumber, to form Park Place Heating and Plumbing. He also kept playing music, rekindling old musical friendships, and forging new ones. Chip moved to Monson, Mass., into a small mobile home. Many a night, the sounds of the pedal steel could be heard coming from within.

Chip was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Trinity Council, in East Longmeadow.

Chip spent his last six years in the care of the dedicated staff at Berkshire Rehab. They did a wonderful job, and he was most grateful for the improvement they brought to his life.

Chip made many friends on his life journey. He will be missed.

[Craig Stock]

Thanks Larry for posting that, I didn't know Chip well, but did get to talk with a bit at the steel shows in Norwalk Ct., and a finer person you could not meet. I also miss his posts on the Forum.

RIP Chip!

[Will Houston]

Yes, thanks for posting. It's nice to know a little about the ole Chipper, besides what I knew about him from the Forum.