Mr. Eddie Lee Moses

Eddie L. Moses was born on January 23, 1917, in Goldsboro, NC to George and Hattie Moses. He was the youngest of four children, Bessie, Pauline and William. Eddie’s childhood centered around what most children liked, athletics and playing with his friends. He developed a passion for playing marbles as well as baseball. He played on a local team as a shortstop that competed with other neighboring towns. At the age of 16, Eddie graduated from Dillard High School and soon after, his parents packed his suitcase and sent him on a bus alone to Hampton, Virginia to start the next stage of his life as a college student at Hampton Institute. While at Hampton, Eddie’s concentration was in Mathematics, then Business, while taking up several jobs on campus to pay for his education. Living in James Hall Residence as well as adopting the motto “My Home by the Sea” were two of many staples in Eddie’s life that he had fond memories of. Unfortunately, after his third year, he had to leave Hampton and return to Goldsboro to help support his family. While in Goldsboro, Eddie worked at the JP Taylor Tobacco Factory for seven years, then he was drafted to the United States Army in World War II in 1942. Eddie was in the 392nd Engineering Regiment Company F. He was a little older than the other recruits, so he took it upon himself to mentor his younger comrades on how to have more confidence in themselves and he even taught them how to write their names instead of writing an “X” on documents. He was not only intelligent but a man of great courage. While in the Army, he was stationed in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. Eddie stayed in the Army until the end of the war in 1945. After the war, Eddie returned to Goldsboro temporarily. He moved to the Philadelphia, PA area with his older brother to pursue employment with the U.S. Postal Service, but then decided to venture out on his own and move to Washington D.C. where he began his career working for the Veteran’s Administration. Eddie was a man who was planted for purpose and displayed uncommon skill. He started in a typing pool as a GS-1 at Veteran’s and worked part time at Giant Food to prepare himself to purchase his first home. As opportunities began to present themselves in VA, he was able to realign his career and began working with computer mainframes, and punched card data processing systems. Eddie’s career with VA spanned over 35 years. His talent was recognized and eventually he was promoted to a Computer Programmer Analyst position. In 1980, he retired from the VA and worked for the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) in Washington D.C. and Herndon, Virginia for nine years before retiring in 1989. His first marriage was to Loretta Marchman, and to this union, Kenneth Kerwin Moses was born. Loretta passed when Kenneth was 9 years old. Some years later, he married Charlotte Brown of Baldwin LA, and to this union, Anthony K. Moses and Eddie Moses Jr. were born. He has a number of grandchildren, great grandchildren, relatives and friends who will always cherish memories of him. Eddie has always participated in community-based organizations. After the riots of 1968, he volunteered his time to the 14th Street PAC organization and the United Planning Organization (UPO). The 14th Street PAC was organized to assist with the redevelopment of 14th Street and neighboring communities that were affected at that time. He was eventually appointed as the Treasurer of that group. With regards to other organizations, Eddie is a lifetime member of Corinthian Lodge #18 where he became the Worshipful Master (1965-1966). He also was a member of the 357 Card Club and other organizations. Eddie was a man of great faith and service. He has been a member of Simpson-Hamline United Methodist Church since 1960. He served on many ministries which included: Church Treasurer (up until the age of 96), Board of Trustees, United Methodist Men, “So Others May Eat (SOME)” just to mention a few. He has always been a very diligent and generous supporter of the Dollars for Scholars Program, which has provided scholarships to qualifying members of the church for the last 40+ years. With a nurturing mindset, Eddie has always been a pillar where family and friends could lean on. You could talk to him about anything. For the neighborhood children who didn’t have a father, they could always approach him and talk about school, life issues, successes or failures. He has always been there to help, encourage, and challenge you to be and to do your best. Eddie was a family man and example to his sons. He along with his wife Charlotte, instilled biblical values to their children. His son Anthony said, “They never had to lecture us on what we should be doing, because they provided examples of how we should be living.” In many conversations with my father, he asked “Is it more important that you earn one million dollars a year in salary or help others who are less fortunate?” He emphasized that our focus should be on GOD and what he has tasked us with instead of the materialistic items that will quickly depreciate and serve no purpose at some point. Because of his early life experiences, my father learned to lead a life of humility. When entering a room, his thought process was not to draw attention to ourselves and say, “Hey everyone, I’m here”, but conversely, recognize everyone else and say “Hey, here you all are”. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have Eddie L. Moses as a father and I thank GOD for that gift. He has set a very high bar. I’ve learned from my father’s life and try to emulate as much as possible. The only hope I have is that I have made him proud.” Eddie moved in his God given direction, lived his life by a compass instead of a clock, stayed on course, helped others fulfill their God given dream, lived 107 years, and now lives in his eternal home in Glory. To learn more of my father’s life, there is a 30 minute interview on the Library of Congress website: Personal Narrative: Eddie Lee Moses Collection https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.113341/

Tributes

Mr. Eddie Lee Moses

January 23, 1917 - May 23, 2024