Tribute to a Virtuous Mother

Marietta Moser, my mother by marriage, was born in Loudon, TN on August 9, 1926 to John E. and Alva Mae Bright.  She was “born again” at age 14 when she surrendered her life to become a follower of Jesus Christ.  After World War II, Marietta married Ralph Donald Moser, and bore him seven lovely daughters including the eldest, my wife, Alvadell “Abby” (Moser) Silvius.  

When Alvadell and I were married in 1969, “Mom” accepted me and influenced my life as if I was her own son.  For this reason, I soon found it fitting to call her "Mom."  She has been a steady, loving, encouragement to me for the past 50 years.

Ralph and Marietta Moser with seven daughters (~1963)

Marietta loved her husband, her seven daughters, her 41 grandchildren, and her 17 great-grandchildren.  Her life of 91 years was a virtuous life--full of the good fruit which resulted from her decision as a girl to invite Christ to be her Lord and Savior.  Her growth and maturity in Christ came as she learned to feed her soul from regular times in God's Word to participate in regular worship and service in her church, Amsterdam Community Church of God.  The best words I can find to describe Marietta are from Galatians 5: 22-23 which states, "...the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives-- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Marietta was disciplined to feed upon God's Word daily.

Proverbs 31: 28-29 speaks of the virtuous woman as follows:

Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.

During the final week before her death, on Sunday, April 29,  we were blessed to be with her for two separate days.  On the prior Tuesday, we remained at her bedside, comforting her with lots of smiles, encouraging words, and the holding of her hands. Although she was very weak, at one point she looked squarely at the ceiling, raised her arm straight up, and held both her arm and her gaze fixed upward in peaceful expression.  Her actions were so determined yet undisturbed by our presence that, after a short while, it seemed natural for me to ask her, “Mom, are you seeing something that we don’t see?”  She gave no visible or audible response, but, God only knows, she may have received an assurance from her Creator along the lines of Psalm 23: 4 that she had just recited with my help earlier that day:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

The memorial service for "Mom/Grandma Moser" was a time for tears but mostly a time for celebration of her life.  She was a wonderful woman, and we were blessed to remember her virtuous life in Christ as we gathered with family and friends at her church in Amsterdam, Ohio. 

We are glad to share two YouTube links which will allow those of you who wish to learn more of our tribute to Marietta Moser.  First, we provide the following link to a series of slides recounting Marietta's life and her love for God and family:  "Celebrating the Life of Marietta Moser."  Second, you may watch a video of a portion of Marietta's memorial service by clicking on the following link:  "Tributes to Marietta Moser, 1926-2018."

If you are unable to view the videos, or choose not to view them, you may wish to view the photos below which show family members giving tribute to Marietta.  Each photo has a brief explanatory caption.  You may click on each photo to enlarge it for better viewing.

Finally, I would like to dedicate this blog article to Marietta's three sisters whom she loved dearly: Mrs. Edna Sperry (below left behind Marietta), Mrs. Loretta (Ray) Noble (right front center with my wife, Alvadell), and Mrs. Norma (Lynn) Brumbaugh (rear center).