Abe J. Moses

1931 - 2015

AMHERST - Abe J. Moses, 83, of Amherst, passed away peacefully June 30, 2015. His family, friends and colleagues will remember Abe as a man of tremendous energy and a deep-rooted desire to engage with people.

Born July 15, 1931, he grew up in Springfield, in a family of 13 children, the son of Mohammed and Fatima Moses, originally from Lebanon, but longtime residents on Liberty Street. His second home was the Springfield Boys and Girls Club where Abe formed many lifelong friendships.

Abe graduated from Cathedral High School where he excelled in football and basketball. After a prep year, he was awarded a scholarship to Amherst College where he continued as a standout football player and graduated in 1955. Abe was a supporter of the college and will be well remembered by his dear friends and classmates there. While in graduate school at Johns Hopkins and working as a legislative aide to then Senator John F. Kennedy, Abe married his college sweetheart, the late Donna Mae Cerruti of Northampton, who passed away in 1987.

He was later commissioned in the U.S. Air Force and served at airbases in France, Germany, and Libya. Upon returning to the U.S., he worked in the U.S. Department of State in the Kennedy Administration. In his role there, he traveled extensively in both Latin America and the Middle East and was later stationed in Vietnam during the early days of that conflict.

Abe and his first wife Donna raised their three sons in Washington D.C. and in Tripoli, Libya, where he began his long career in international business. Abe traveled and lived overseas, worked in a range of industries, and always developed friendships with the people he encountered in his work. He spoke Arabic fluently, which helped him in many of his assignments in the Middle East, including his work for Occidental Petroleum and with his relationship the Libyan Royal family.

Abe earned his private pilot's license just after his 40th birthday. He greatly enjoyed the freedom of flying his single-engine plane and often made visits to his family vacation home on Cape Cod or to visit his three sons at college. In over 30 years as a pilot, Abe was a steady hand at the yoke; he handled several near catastrophes with a cool head and always returned safely though not always to his intended destination.

One of his most notable accomplishments is the Sheraton Suites Hotel in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Abe was part owner and remained involved in management until his passing. During construction of the hotel, Abe met Mary Jo Morris. They were married in 2001 and have since resided in Northampton and more recently in South Amherst.

In addition to his support of Amherst College, Abe was a board member of the Near East Foundation, and a supporter of the Springfield Boys and Girls Club among other charitable endeavors.

Abe is survived by his wife Mary Jo Moses of Amherst; his three sons, Douglas (Carol) Moses of Rye, New York, John (Donna) Moses of Kenilworth, Illinois, and Peter (Debbie) Moses of Old Greenwich, Connecticut; his eight grandchildren, Olivia, Amelia, Carlee, Alexa, Liza, Jake, Annie and Jordan; step-daughters Corrine (Brian) Novak of Denver, Colorado, and Sarah (Robert) Schmidt of Seven Hills, Ohio; his sister Mary; two brothers, Arthur and Carl; and many nieces and nephews.

A gathering will be held Saturday, Aug. 8, from 11 a.m. to Noon followed by a memorial service at the Byron Keenan Funeral Home and Cremation Tribute Center, 1858 Allen St., Springfield.

Memorial contributions may be made in Abe's name to the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, 481 Carew St., Springfield, MA, or the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018.

For additional information please visit www.byronkeenan.com.

To sign a Guest Book, express condolences, share memories and read other obituaries, go to www.gazettenet.com/obituaries.