Mitchell J. Goroski, Jr.

ALBANY - Mitchell Joseph Goroski, Jr. passed away on February 25, 2025. He was born in Patterson, N.J., to Mitchell Goroski, Sr. and Mary Brudnak Goroski, in March of 1943. Early in his high school years, Mr. Goroski, Jr. become a budding environmentalist. He read books by early writers knowledgeable about protecting wild life, open space, clean air and water, famous unspoiled natural places like the Adirondack and Rocky Mountains and more.
Following Mitchell's college years he joined the Peace Corps. He was trained with a team of volunteers in Hawaii to prepare to help eliminate malaria in Thailand. After those two years, Mr. Goroski was accepted at NYU Law School.
Upon graduation, Mitchell went to work as a "poverty law" attorney in Brooklyn with Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services, where he met another "poverty lawyer," Jane Schneider, from Albany, N.Y. They married in 1978, after finding their law work in Albany, N.Y. - he with the N.Y. Dept. of Environmental Conservation, fulfilling his inclination to environmental law work. Once Mitchell arrived in this DEC world of new legal challenges, he became the expert as the "water counsel" by assignment.
Mr. Goroski loved to go hiking in Bear Mountain Park on weekends with friends from college, who were working in N.J., as he worked in Brooklyn. Later, while living in Albany, he was a member of a unique walking club based in Old Chatham, N.Y. This sport is called "beagleing", i.e. following those beagle hounds as they follow the scent of rabbits, in a hunt on foot (It is a preparatory sport to fox hunting).
In Albany's Department of Environmental Conservation, he made many friends, and one summer Saturday, some of them joined a Lake George boating party of environmentalists from the Adirondack Park Agency Counsel's Office. As that day progressed, Mitchell talked with these A.P.A lawyers about his being interested in working with their Agency in Raybrook near Lake Placid.
Eventually, he did take an open position with the Adirondack Park Agency Counsel's Office. He remained in this position there for years, and commuted from Albany for the five-day work week and returned for weekends to Albany. The couple kept the same house there so his wife could continue her law work in Albany; also, his wife would often go to his Lake Placid apartment on weekends and holidays. They, at age 35, agreed their careers preempted starting a family.
It is thought that Mr. Goroski's most impactful case was in the administrative APA hearing concerning an application to build, within the Adirondack Park on the east shore of Lake George, a very tall communication tower. This addition would break out above the entirely green shore, the tree-line of not-as-tall – green forest, unspoiled by a commercial tower. Mr. Goroski was lead attorney for the APA. The APA position was to keep the east shore looking its natural part as a solid tree line unpierced forest; i.e. not allowing a commercial tower to break the present visible smooth "wall" of forest green. Eventually, the decision came: the commercial tower could exist in a shorter smaller size so it was not visible.
The hearing was extremely tense and lengthy. It was a battle of an environmental position in favor of a natural view-scape of solid, and in this APA position's ideal, natural forest, with no commercial "intrusion" of a man-made "distorting" commercial break in the natural "wall" of green trees.
Slowly, the applicant was able to moderate the height of the tower visible by its unwelcome break in the forest's appearance, and moderate its width as to become almost invisible, unless one was walking nearby. In other words, the tree line would remain above the top of a moderated reshaped height and width version of the commercial tower, which then as newly designed could be given a permit to be built.
After Mr. Goroski became less willing to brave the cold and winter weather, he decided to retire in 2017, keeping the apartment in Lake Placid for many years after.
Hiking was replaced by the joy of getting a small apartment in New York City to enjoy the musical life of jazz and dance, both classic ballet and modern dance and the many attractions of museums, etc., while getting together with former Albany area friends who had moved to New York City. Also, they as well were able to visit Mitchell's Jersey family, especially because of Mitchell's mother becoming a widow and then moving to age appropriate assisted-living.
Mitchell suffered a health emergency and needed surgery on February 20. Sadly, following that, on February 25, he experienced a fatal heart attack. Despite great efforts to help him at his hospital room in St. Peter's, he passed away.
It is the family's special wish that we praise the excellent nurses he had at St. Peter's Hospital; and the great skilled surgeon, Dr. Steckel; as well as the tech staff and wonderful supporting staff who made Mitchell smile and trade jokes and share laughter: Fernando and Liz especially. Each and every question the family asked was always quickly answered with warmth and expertise by those at the nurse's desk.
To conclude, the family is grateful for Mitchell's long life – nearly reaching the age of 82; we accept the Good Lord's calling him home when the early road ahead seemed uncertain.
Thank you again to St. Peter's Hospital for having such caring and effective medical personnel.
The family has had a private gathering to celebrate Mitchell's life, with his burial shortly afterwards. Arrangements were entrusted to the Hans Funeral Home, Albany. To leave a message of condolence for the family, visit www.HansFuneralHome.com.