James William Moss
March 21, 1929 – January 8, 2010

I miss James.  He was my grandfather and my buddy.

James W. Moss had many monikers, including: Love (his mom), 60 Minute Man (the local CB community), and Brother (his first cousin, Ann).  There were even more descriptions for this well-rounded, well-read, Korean War veteran.  Entrepreneur, electrician, fix-it man, Hagee bane, tomato grower, Spatco man, the arsenal, smoky haze, conspiracy theorists, human map, trucker, new car driver, Crohn’s sufferer, lottery predictor, wise old man, and farmer are the ones that I remember.

James may not have been the best husband or father, I can’t speak on that, but he was a fantastic grandfather.  He wasn’t lovable.  But he loved me.  As a dignified, intelligent, capable man, James was my best male role model in my family.

His knowledge will be missed.  The old streets and segregated communities were stored in his brain.  Who else knows what African American shops and people were on Spartanburg’s thriving Liberty St? Who is going to tell me about the farmer’s almanac?  Who now can tell me first hand about the build up of the Cold War and the execution of the Korean War?  Who is going to discuss Chicago (Spartanburg receives WGN America on cable) politics and the accompanying scandals with me?

Yeah. As I grew up, my grandfather became my friend.  I miss him and I wish him peace as he moves through the next journey.