Donald Francis MOSS

MOSS, Donald Francis Donald Francis Moss, husband of Virginia ("Sally") Hardesty Moss, of Farmington, Connecticut, died peacefully Tuesday (May 18) at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He was 90. Born January 20, 1920 in Somerville, Massachusetts, he had a rare and wonderful life. In addition to his wife of more than 60 years, Moss is survived by his son, Donald Hardesty Moss and his wife, Susan Reeder Moss, of West Hartford, CT; his daughter, Elisabeth Prescott Moss, and her partner, Kathleen Zecchin, of Farmington; and his daughter, Margaret Moss Painter, and her husband, Robert W. Painter Jr., of Avon, CT. He is also survived by five grandchildren, William and Samuel Moss, Kathryn, Alexander, and James DeGraaf. He also leaves his son-in-law, Christian DeGraaf of New Hartford, CT; brother-in-law, Kurt Tauber of Williamstown, Massachusetts; brother-in-law Clifton Hardesty of Venice, Florida; as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his three sisters. Moss was a noted and celebrated illustrator, as well as a fine artist, and one of the last surviving veterans of the First Marine Division's Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. In 1940, he was attending Vesper George Art School on scholarship in Massachusetts, but joined the U.S. Marine Corps when World War II broke out. Moss joined the First Marine Division, landed at Guadalcanal in August 1942, fighting through that campaign and eventually serving four years, attaining the rank of Corporal, and using his artistic talent to document and map the campaign in the South Pacific. After the War, he attended Pratt Institute in New York, where he met his wife, Sally Hardesty. He began painting for various ad agencies, along with Good Housekeeping, Colliers, and Esquire magazines. He got his first assignment with Sports Illustrated in 1954, and over 30 years, painted more covers and editorial illustrations for SI than any American artist. Moss had a prolific career as a freelance illustrator, focusing his commercial work mainly on sports-related subjects. For his accomplishments in sports art, the United States Sports Academy named Moss Sport Artist of the Year in 1985. Among his clients were Time, World Book Encyclopedia, the NFL, the US Tennis Association, the PGA, the US Air Force, Head, Olin, Stratton Mountain, ABC-TV, Mercedes-Benz, among others. Although Donald Moss is not a household name, his work is everywhere: from the Best 18 Golf Holes in America, Super Bowl posters, numerous aerial ski maps and ski runs, and ubiquitous logos, to the art for the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic raccoon mascot. He designed a dozen postage stamps and 48 First Day Covers for the US Postal Service. He painted the signature illustrations for many sports events such as the New York City Marathon and the US Tennis Open at Forest Hills. Moss's fine art prints have been commissioned by Sports Illustrated, Arnold Palmer Enterprises, and Golf Digest, among others. His paintings are included in 200 Years of Sport in America, and The Best of Sports Illustrated. His paintings of Ted Williams and Jack Nicklaus are included in Champions of America Sport, published by the Smithsonian Institution. His paintings hang in the collections of museums and many of the American Sports Halls of Fame. Moss was a Life Member of the Society of Illustrators and served as its senior vice president. He was Chairman of the US Air Force Art Program and flew around the world to paint Air Force activities, many of which grace the USAF art collection. Moss was a member of the First Marine Division Association, a board member of the National Art Museum of Sport, and a member of the Low Illustration Committee at the New Britain Museum of American Art. Moss was an avid sportsman himself, a hockey player as a boy, a lifelong skier and tennis player, and an avid golf, football, hockey, and baseball fan. Although he created an enormous body of commercial work, he will be best remembered by his family and friends as a fine artist of watercolors and landscapes. He was the author of "How to Paint Watercolor," published by Grumbacher in 1968. He painted hundreds of watercolors at the family's summer home on Fire Island in the '60s and '70s, which he would string up along the Kismet dock on a clothesline and sell for a trifle; the point was not to sell so much as to share his love for stormy skies or the sun setting into the ocean. His enthusiasm for his art was matched by his generosity, he sketched and painted countless churches, schools, historic buildings, and people, often as a gift to or for the benefit of associated organizations, including the University of Connecticut, the UConn Health Center, and the American Farmland Trust. He delighted close friends with paintings of their favorite places or a beloved dog. In addition to art and sports, he had many passions — he had an infectious love of music and dancing; an uptempo jazz or blues tune was cause to drum along with a fork and spoon or the wrong end of a paintbrush. He had a ready smile, innate charisma, and a gift for connecting with anyone, human or canine. He loved his sportscar, outdoor concerts with champagne and fireworks, dogs, his backyard garden, and a crisply-pressed shirt. He loved a good joke and had a twinkle in his eye until the day he died. He believed fiercely in hard work, The Golden Rule, and the power of positive thinking. Of all his loves, nothing matched his love and devotion for his Sally. They celebrated their 60th anniversary in June 2009. There was never a more loving husband, father, or grandfather. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 29 at 11 a.m., at St. James Episcopal Church in Farmington, followed by a reception. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to the New Britain Museum of American Art 56 Lexington St, New Britain, CT 06052 or The Barney Library Renovation Fund, 6 Monteith Drive, Farmington, CT 06032. Friends are encouraged to sign the guestbook at legacy.com and visit www.donaldfmoss.blogspot.com.