Deceased June 30, 2015
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In Memory
My dad passed away peacefully on June 30, 2015. He would have been 84 on July 15. In August, family and friends celebrated Abe’s life in his hometown of Springfield, Mass. Abe came to Amherst after preparing at nearby Cathedral High School and Suffield Academy. He often recounted stories of the generosity he received from the Amherst community during his time there, which formed the foundation of his lifelong support of the College.
At Amherst, Abe was a Chi Psi and a stalwart on the football team. He majored in political economy. According to classmates, he also ran the largest dry cleaning service on campus and was on a first-name basis with resident poet Robert Frost. Though I have enjoyed many Abe Moses stories about his college days, my dad’s lifelong Amherst friendships are the testament to his experience there.
After Amherst, Abe earned a master’s at Johns Hopkins, worked for then-Senator John Kennedy and later served overseas in the U.S. Air Force and State Department before he began a long career in international business. Just after his 40th birthday, Abe earned his pilot’s license. He loved flying. In more than 30 years at the yoke, he handled some frightening mishaps with a cool head, including the loss of a propeller, and always returned safely—though not always to his intended destination. While Abe enjoyed many successes in his career, family and friends will most remember his unrelenting enthusiasm and determination to accomplish whatever task, large or small, he set his sights on.
In 1956 Abe married his college sweetheart, Donna Mae Cerruti (Smith ’55), who died in 1987. They raised three sons: Doug ’79, John ’81 and P.J. ’86. They survive him, as does Mary Jo Morris, whom he married in 2001.
John Moses ’81