Moseley passed away peacefully, two weeks shy of his 85th birthday.
He is predeceased by his mother and father, his wife Kathleen, his son Colin, his brothers Roy, Frank, Carlton and Kenneth, sister Ivy and many other extended family members.
He is survived by his son Byron, daughter Arietha (Roy), grandchildren Ayla, Brynn, and Reid, sisters Eileen, Eulan and Mayrose and many other relatives.
Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to William and Pearl Jack, he came a long way from his humble beginnings, living on Brunton Road in St. James. He grew up in a small house with 8 siblings and no electricity or running water.Moseley finished his elementary education at St. Crispin’s School, but his family could not afford to send him to secondary school (which was not free in Trinidad). He had to work at a tennis club as a ball boy and at a golf club as a caddy, to earn some money for the family. A wealthy woman from the tennis club, who grew very fond of him, asked why he wasn’t in school, and she decided to pay for him to go. He attended Osmond High School. While there, Moseley had the opportunity to play soccer and cricket.
When he was only 16, his mother died. He had to help raise his younger siblings. Upon graduation from high school, he was hired as a civil servant. He saved up enough money for university. There were limited opportunities to go to school in the West Indies. He had heard of people leaving to go to school in Canada. At 23, he set out for Vancouver, BC (UBC). He had little more than the shirt on his back and money to cover his first term but working odd jobs, Moseley survived. When his father died, Moseley was just 26. He could not afford to go back for the funeral. He struggled financially at times but ultimately, he was able to earn his B.A. Degree in Education (1966). Later, he returned to school and completed an M. Ed. Degree in Counselling (1977).
At UBC, Moseley was a member of International House and on the cricket team with many fellow West Indians. After university he became part of the Cosmos Club where he played cricket and performed with the Trinidad Moonlighters Steel Band (which continued for 30 years). He resided in Point Grey at the infamous “4463” house. There, he lived with several other West Indians and some Canadian students. They became well known for their fetes (parties).
It is there where Moseley met his future wife and the love of his life, Kathleen, on New Year’s Eve 1964. Moseley would be forever connected with the “Deep Cove Girls” and later, their spouses. In 1965 Kathleen traveled to Australia with two of her girlfriends where she had planned to be for one year. Moseley wrote to her, asking her to come back and marry him. She accepted his request, came back to Canada after 8 months, and they rented an apartment in Kitsilano. In 1967, son Byron was born, and they were married that same year.
The family moved to Kamloops where Moseley had accepted a teaching position. Son Colin was born in 1970, followed by daughter Arietha in 1971. After several years in Kamloops, the family moved back to the Lower Mainland in 1974, making Richmond their home. Moseley got hired with the Richmond School Board. He became a full-time teacher, working first at Gilmore Elementary School and later, for 17 years, at Lord Byng Elementary School. Moseley coached all of the sports. Eventually he became a PE specialist. Later, he was hired as a councellor at London Secondary School (now Steveston-London). He remained there for 5 years until he retired in 1996. At London, Moseley co-coached the girl’s cross-country team to a BC Championship silver medal and the table tennis team to a provincial title.
In the late 70’s, with all of his children deeply involved in sports, Moseley took on the role as coach for the very successful West Richmond Bobcats soccer team. There he coached many boys including son Colin and a consistent core group for about a decade, helping to guide them along the way, which had a lasting impact on their lives. He also worked as a soccer referee.
In 1980, with Byron and Arietha already involved, Moseley was asked to coach for the Kajaks Track and Field Club. For the next 41 years he would be an integral part of the club, having a huge impact on hundreds of athletes over that time. The BC Elementary Championships (BCEC) meet was always very important to him. There you could find him every year, running the long and triple jump with son Byron. It was a monumental task, but he did it with professionalism, efficiency, patience, energy, joy, and pride. Countless individuals have expressed fond memories of Moseley running those events “when they were a kid” or when their students or own children attended. After retirement, Moseley volunteered on countless occasions with the Lord Byng Secondary Track and Field Team. At meets, he would help to run the triple jump which would free up Byron to attend to his coaching duties. This helped Lord Byng to win 10 straight Vancouver City Championships!
Once he retired from teaching, Moseley lived in Steveston for over 30 years. He became so well known; some people called him “the mayor of Steveston”. In 2020, Moseley was flattered to be captured by Clare Scott, in her book of photobiographies, “Faces of Steveston”. Years earlier he was humbled to be part of an exhibit in the Richmond Museum about various people of the city, where he also performed with a couple of fellow “Trinis” and talked about the origins of steel pan music.
Moseley and Kathleen enjoyed their early retirement years. They embarked on various trips, sometimes with friends, to Australia, Europe, and Trinidad. Sadly, Kathleen passed away from colon cancer in 2008. Moseley had stopped working as a substitute teacher to take care of her. He was absolutely devastated by her death and never really got over it. In 2011, his son Colin passed away suddenly, which also caused him a great deal of sorrow. However, shortly thereafter, Arietha and her partner Roy began to have children (Ayla, Brynn, and Reid). The grandchildren became Moseley’s pride and joy. He spent as much time as he could with them, and they loved him very much.
Moseley never forgot his Trinidadian roots and he celebrated them with his family and friends, Canadians, and fellow Trinidadians alike. Among some of the countless volunteering he did, Moseley was a founding member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cultural Society of BC and was even the president for a time.
Some of the other many things Moseley was involved in include the following:
-Board of Directors for the Richmond Boys Soccer Association
-Board of Directors for the Kajaks Track & Field Club
-organized the annual Terry Fox Run at Lord Byng Elementary School
-volunteer at Caribbean Days festivals
-volunteer for Colin’s Just Here for the Beer – beer tasting festivals
-member of the Black Educators Society of BC
-involved with the Jr. Black Achievement Awards
-with Kathleen, provided homestays, and worked as an English instructor for international students
-canvasing for the BC Cancer Foundation
-member of the Richmond Centre Trini Coffee Club
In 2018 Moseley was extremely honoured to be inducted into the Richmond Wall of Fame at the Olympic Oval. Moseley continued to stay fit. He continued to coach with Kajaks until the ripe age of 84, which was a testament to his youthfulness and stamina. Despite his regiment of fitness and good nutrition, he had some bad luck with his health over the years. Most recently, this June, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer which had already spread to his pancreas and colon. As public as he was in some ways, he was very private in others. Moseley lost a relatively short but very intense and valiant battle.
Even during his latest struggle, Moseley maintained that he was lucky to meet Kathleen. He was extremely fortunate to have the family and the life that he had. He said, in many ways, “it was a fairy tale life”. He also said, “Things have worked out very well for me. This country has done amazing things for me”.
Thank you to the staff, nurses, paramedics, and doctors who worked with Moseley at Steveston Medical Clinic, Steveston Life Labs, Richmond Health Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health, BC Ambulance Service, BC Cancer Agency, and Richmond Hospital for all of their wonderful care. Also, to friends, neighbours, family, and the entire community for their outpouring of support, whether it was during his illness or since his passing.
Rest in peace Moseley!
An open viewing will be held from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, September 8th at:
Kearney Columbia-Bowell Chapel, 219-6th St. New Westminster, BC, V3L 3A3
A celebration of life will be planned for a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Moseley’s name to the BC Cancer Foundation
OR
to Kajaks Track & Field Club,
Box 216, 186-8120 No 2 Road,
Richmond, BC V7C 5J8