Harry Moss

Harry Moss
February 28, 2024
Harry Walter Moss, Jr., a long-term San Francisco resident, passed away on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, in Gilroy, Calif. He was 76.
Harry was a professional writer and journalist, starting with the student newspapers at Cal State Long Beach, where he graduated in journalism, and San Francisco State University, where he received his MBA. His later career included stints at various publications, among them the skateboard magazine Thrasher and as the editor of the Guitar Center News. He was a regular contributor to the San Francisco Business Times and the San Luis Obispo New Times, under the byline H.W. Moss. His fiction included the novel "In the Shadow of the Pyramid", a historical dark comedy set in San Francisco that was published in 2015, and numerous short stories. His e-books include "Youth and Other Science Fiction" and "Googol The Great". His written work lives on through his web page, www.netnovels.com .
Harry and a business partner-contractor purchased their first fixer-upper, a triplex in the Fillmore District in 1974, later selling it for a profit. They subsequently acquired buildings in the Mission District, which Harry eventually retained. He owned buildings in San Francisco, Marin, Oakland and Minneapolis.
The income from his real estate investments allowed him the freedom to concentrate on his writing. He was a regular contributor to Herb Caen's eclectic local columns, typically using the nom de plume Art Deco. When Caen eventually wrote that he wondered if Art Deco was a real person, Harry's Art Deco wrote a note to Caen taking great phony umbrage. Caen subsequently published the gist of the note with an apology. Harry saved the clippings where his various remarks appeared over the years, eventually concluding that they totaled an entire column.
Harry Walter Moss Jr. was born in Riverside, Calif., in 1947, to Harry Moss Sr., a deputy district attorney and Elizabeth Ann Donnellan Moss, a psychiatric social worker, both WWII veterans. He was preceded in passing by his parents, including his stepmother, June Lee Reyno Moss; and by his brother, publisher, Stephen D. Moss. He is survived by two brothers, Kioren Moss and Lt. Col. Francis R. Moss; and two sisters, Amritamurti (Alice) Moss and Laura M. Greer; numerous nieces and nephews and an extended family. A celebration of his life will be held in San Francisco on a date to be announced.
Harry had numerous girlfriends over his lifetime, but resisted marrying any of them. He was also squeamish about memorial services.
"I don't do well at funerals. I'd like to miss my own."
-Harry Moss, Jr.