William John Moss

MOSS-William John. Longtime partner in the law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, beloved husband of Kathryn Casale Moss, devoted father of ten and loving grandfather of eighteen, passed away on September 25, 2005 at his home in Garrison, New York. He was 84 years of age. A highly regarded member of the New York bar, Mr. Moss was an attorney at Cadwalader for 56 years. He joined the firm in 1949 after graduating from Harvard Law School, became a partner in 1959 and counsel in 1996. In addition to representing commercial clients, Mr. Moss was a valued advisor to many nonprofit, charitable and religious organizations, most notably The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army honored him in 1989 with the Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service ``for invaluable friendship and legal counsel,'' and in 1999 with the Evangeline Booth Award for ``outstanding service by an exceptional individual for 50 years.'' A firm believer in community service, Mr. Moss served as the President of the Parents Teachers Association of Garrison Union Free School, Chairman of the Board of the former Butterfield Memorial Hospital in Cold Spring, and lector at St. John's Chapel, Graymoor, and St. Joseph's Chapel, Garrison. A decorated World War II veteran, at age 21 Mr. Moss enlisted in the U.S. Army Infantry immediately after Pearl Harbor and fought in North Africa and Italy from 1943 to 1945, achieving the rank of Captain and Battalion Ops Officer. He was honored for his leadership with the Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star with cluster for valor, the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Italian Cross of Valor and a Victory Medal. Mr. Moss continued as a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves through the 1950s. Born in Duluth, Minnesota in 1921, Mr. Moss was appointed Cadet Colonel at St. Thomas Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota, from which he graduated, summa cum laude, in 1939. He attended Harvard College as a National Scholar from 1940 to 1942, before enlisting in the U.S. Army. Returning to Harvard College at the end of World War II, Mr. Moss graduated, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in 1947. He received his LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1949. Mr. Moss is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kathryn Casale Moss, his children Mary Moss Appleton, Catherine Moss Warner, Amy Margaret Moss, John Hugh Moss, Gerard Casale Moss, Hugh McMillan Moss, Patricia Quinn Moss, Susan Moss Homola and Dr. Barbara Ann Moss and his eighteen grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Dr. Hugh McMillan Moss and sister Mary Lou Shanahan. Mr. Moss was predeceased by his parents, Mary Quinn and John Hugh Moss, his sisters, Margaret Van Laufen and Catherine Peterson, and his daughter, Elizabeth Moss Bradley. A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, October 1, at 10:30 AM at St. Joseph's Chapel, Garrison, New York, with a reception to follow at the Moss family home in Garrison. In memory of Mr. Moss, donations may be made to The Salvation Army-William J. Moss Endowment Fund, a fund established to support the education of officers of the Salvation Army as leaders in helping those in need, c/o Secretary for Business Administration, The Salvation Army, 440 West Nyack Road, P.O. Box C-635, West Nyack, New York. For further information, contact the Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott Street, Cold Spring, NY.