Samuel O. Moss was laid to rest on August 9, 2012. He enjoyed 82 fruitful years of life. Here are the tributes from his kids and grandkids that were shared at his funeral:
From Sam’s Grandchildren (read by Erin Moss Taylor)
As the oldest granddaughter, it’s an honor and privilege to share a few memories compiled from all of the grandkids: Brandon, Erin, Deanne, Amber, Marcus, Adam and Miranda.
Grandpa was always ready with a joke or funny story. He loved to make us laugh. Even if we didn’t understand the joke, the huge grin on Grandpa’s face and twinkle in his eye made us laugh.
The highlight of visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s farm was riding with grandpa on his tractor.
Grandpa knew how important it was to show up for our big life moments. He and Grandma spent countless hours driving so that they could sit and watch a performance, a commencement, or special function and help us celebrate with big hugs and often a meal out at a restaurant. His presence in these special moments simply meant the world to us.
Grandpa introduced all the boys to the “Moss test of manhood”: spicy food. From tobasco sauce to Grandpa’s canned peppers, the redder the face and the more the sweat… the more the man!
Grandpa gave great hugs. When we were small, Grandpa loved to invite us to sit on his lap, and sometimes we would even fall asleep together.
He always had double-mint gum in his pocket for all his grandkids and any kid who asked.
Grandpa had dentures. As children, we found this both fascinating and terrifying. He often liked to tease and surprise us by spontaneously popping them half way out of his mouth. When Deanne was just a toddler, he once did this to her while she sat on his lap. She was terrified by the sight before her and warned him: Grandpa, don’t you ever do that again!
Grandpa loved to play. Amber remembers Grandpa and Uncle Ed playing with her blocks and having so much fun as they built a tower to the ceiling. And it was while visiting Amber and Marcus that Grandpa discovered his love for one of their video games: Tetris. He played Tetris for years and years, perhaps almost as much as he did crossword puzzles.
Of all the wonderful memories and incredible gifts that our Grandpa has given to our family, it is his gift of faith that is the greatest treasure. Grandpa loved the Lord and he had deep faith. Whenever Grandpa would lead a prayer before a family meal, you could hear the depth of faith behind his words. I remember a phrase that Grandpa often used as he began a prayer: "Father, we pause in your presence…" He took the presence of the Lord very seriously and reminded us of the way that God is always with us. Even right now. While we grieve so much the loss of our wonderful Grandpa, we rejoice with him that he is in the presence of the Lord. Thank you God for the incredible gift of being the grandchildren of Sam Moss.
From Brandon Moss (Grandson)
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be as tough as my Grandpa Moss was. If I could just be like him, I could take on the world! He has always been my hero.
When my son was born 5 years ago, I named him Samuel after my grandpa. It was one of the greatest joys in my life to tell my grandpa that news.
It is an honor to be your grandson! Every moment I spent with you was a privilege. I love you grandpa!
From Bob Moss (son)
Our dad was an enigmatic mixture of tough and tender. He became tough in order to deal with harsh realities he faced in life. His tenderness was shown in his generosity, his willingness to help anyone in need, and his unswerving devotion to his family.
Born to a large depression-era family, he entered into the world of physical work at an early age. This shaped his belief that everyone should know what it means to put in a hard day’s work. He extended this belief to his own kids. As a youngster, I somewhat resented these expectations, but later came to realize how his expectation of hard work and perseverance translated into helpful skills for my own lifetime.
There is no doubt that the experiences of the Korean War called upon his toughest side. Before our culture commonly understood or talked about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, our dad struggled with it. Serving on the front lines of three battles, as a medic, the screams of the wounded and the horror of war affected him deeply. He never revealed much about it to us except to say that it was the most difficult time of his life. Thankfully, the ensuing years quieted the painful echoes of war, and a much more mellow version of our dad emerged.
Many people remember our dad as one with a quick wit and who loved to tell funny stories. We called his one-liners “Sam-isms.” The concept of being politically correct was completely foreign to him. For instance, Dad failed to realize that the TV show All in the Family was a parody meant to reveal the stereotypes and bigotry in America. He simply thought of Archie Bunker as the guy who really tells it like it is!
But this is an incomplete picture of who he really was. Our family tended to overlook dad’s brash comments. because we came to see that beneath that rough exterior was a devout Christian who was very knowledgeable about the Bible and took it seriously. He lived out his theology in a pragmatic, common-sense manner. He lived as a man with high principles, strongly held.
He taught us enduring values:
- “Son, let your word be your bond. Never break a promise.”
- “Look people in the eye when you talk with them. Be wary of anyone who won’t look you in the eye.”
- “When you meet someone give them a firm handshake.”
- “If you borrow something, make sure you return it in as good or better shape.”
Many people have only a biological father. We had a dad. He was an abiding presence in all our lives. When any of his kids or grandkids had a special event, he was there. He and mom would drive hundreds of miles in order to be there to show support. None of us can imagine what life will be like without his presence. The empty chair at our family gatherings will be difficult for us to experience.
Our comfort comes, in knowing that his presence is now with our Lord. In the last days of his life it became obvious to us that he had his eyes set on a more distant horizon. We know without a doubt that someday we will be reunited with him there. When he meets us at the gate, we know he will have some great stories about heaven to tell.
From Debbie Moss Anderson (daughter)
My dad always believed in using the “teachable moments”:
When I was young and we were attending the Newton Falls church, he told me that he was going to teach me how to shake hands with people. He demonstrated shaking hands with someone who was young and healthy. Then he showed me how to be gentle with the older arthritic folks. Then he took me around the sanctuary after church to have me greet people and practice.
One Sunday as we were waiting in the car for my mother to exit church, there was a young couple standing in the parking lot making out. He pointed them out to me and said, “Do you see that? If they act that way in public it makes you wonder what they do in private.” Point taken.
Another time we saw a scantily dressed woman and he said, “If you’re not selling, don’t be advertising.”
Dad also shared that we need to learn to speak well. People will think that you’re smarter or more educated if you speak correctly.
Once in a while, dad forgot to tell us the teachable moment until after the fact. We stilled learned the lesson though. He always told us that he did not want us picking a fight. But if someone else picked a fight we should stand our ground and make them sorry they did. One year, he had my brother Ray and I out trick-or-treating. He needed to pick up a gallon of milk, so he told us to work one side of the street, the wait for him. A gang of older boys came up and took my little brother’s candy. So I stood up to them. Two black eyes and lots of bruises later, my dad told me, “I forgot to tell you, when there are more of them than you and they’re all bigger than you, you should probably just run.” That’s a point I never forgot. We did, however, get the candy back, so I guess that was a win.
From Ray Moss (son)
There are so many good memories; it's difficult to choose just a few that capsulize 82 well-lived years. I suppose I could begin by restating a couple of axioms he taught me about Mother Nature. As a farmer he would say "the corn must be knee high by the fourth of July” or referring to the winter weather he would say, "As the days grow longer the cold gross stronger."
Or perhaps I could summarize his life by sharing with you some of my favorite childhood memories: like the summer he earned his first 4-week vacation at Packard Electric so he piled a family of 6 into the pickup truck with the pop-up camper in tow and took us on a month long vacation across the U.S. to places like glacier national park, the redwood forests of California, and the grand canyon.
But I think the best way I could summarize his life is to recall the countless acts of service dad gave to me and everyone else: from volunteer service on countless church boards & committees to his volunteer work with the Scouts; from driving to Florida to help me paint a house I was trying to sell, to helping me put a new roof on another one; from helping his fellow-neighbor-farmers get their harvest in before it was too late, to passing out sticks of chewing gum to the little kids at church because they intrinsically knew Brother Sam had a soft spot for them in his heart. I learned to serve my fellow-man from watching my Dad model that kind of service! While Dad was not much for flowery words of appreciation or admiration, he chose to demonstrate his love and appreciation in the countless acts of service he performed throughout his entire life right up to the very end.
This is the legacy of a life well-lived he has left for me and for all who knew him.
From Ed Moss (son)
Our Dad gave an excellent example about navigating through life’s happy times as well as through the storms. We have great memories of hearing about our great heritage of our ancestors overcoming struggles and hardships. It is through these stories that we developed a sense of strength that we could overcome obstacles with God’s help, a strong work ethic, and a good attitude.
Dad taught us through stories about his family making it through the Great Depression through hard work and faith in God. His stories were sometimes comical and at other times serious. Most of the time, however, we learned how to approach life and reach our potential by the life he lived. His life was the example that will be remembered.
Dad tried to be an example not only to his family, but also to others. He was very involved in organizations such as the American Legion, the Highway Patrol Auxiliary, and the Boy Scouts. He chose these organizations and used them as vehicles to teach others about the values so important to him; namely, duty to God, duty to country, duty to family and duty to self. Every day, Dad showed us that a life that was worth living was spent supporting and nurturing each one of these values.
I feel especially blessed to be his son. I can only imagine where I would be without his influence. It was like having my own personal scoutmaster to help teach and guide me every day. Dad showed, through his Christian example, how to live the scout law. Anyone that knew Dad would certainly note that he had all those attributes: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Jesus Christ was his life’s foundation and by his example, he taught me how to be tough in life’s hard times and how to embrace and cherish the good times. His constant presence in my life showed me how much he cared.
Dad, I love you! I know I’ll see you again in heaven. There we’ll have out next rematch in pool…you were unstoppable the last time we played, where you quote: “cleaned my clock.” How appropriate though, it was on Father’s Day! Thanks for being my Dad! I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
