Jerome Allen Gourse, 68, a retired research chemist, died Thursday in a traffic accident in Tampa. Mr. Gourse had retired to Florida from Skokie 16 years ago, said his son Edward Rubin. He was an Eagle Scout and veteran of the Marine Corps. Mr. Gourse was born in Bristol, Va., and moved to Illinois, where he received a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked as a research chemist for the former Velsicol Chemical Corp. of Chicago. Mr. Gourse was a cancer survivor whose heart surgery 12 years ago had been successful, his son said. “He had a tremendous will to live, a real inner strength,” he said. In addition to his son, Mr. Gourse is survived by his wife, Maxine; another son, Harold Rubin; a brother, Stanley; and four grandchildren. Services will be held Tuesday in Florida.
