Elmo Earl Moretz

November 4, 1930 - February 7, 2020

Elmo Earl "Mo" Moretz, 89, of Mechanicsville, Va., passed away on Friday, February 7. A native of Boone, NC, he was the son of Arlie and Alice Moretz, and the eldest of four children, two of whom, Milton and Olive, along with their parents, predeceased him. He is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Virginia "Ginny" Bridges Moretz, his daughters Anne (Thom Stanger) and Sabena (John Van Namen), both of Mechanicsville, and Patty (Kent McCarty) of Portland, Oregon. He took pride in his three grandchildren, Sarah McCarty, and Bailey and Carter Van Namen. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Lea (Bill McGoogan) of St. Augustine, Florida, who was a life-long friend and dear companion. Numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins were also special to Mo.

Mo earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Appalachian State University and later attended the University of Miami for his doctorate in education. He served in the United States Army during the Korea conflict. His long-time career was as a professor of education, first at the University of South Florida and later at Eastern Kentucky University, where he was the founding dean of the Graduate School. He helped the first international students enroll at EKU, and after returning to the faculty, taught hundreds if not thousands of pre-service teachers over his career. When not teaching, he was farming, tending a large herd of beef cattle. He was an active community volunteer wherever he lived. After retiring from EKU, he and Ginny moved to Mechanicsville to be near their grandsons where he continued his tradition of service to others and was actively engaged in the life of his family.

Instead of flowers, if you'd like to make a gift to an organization he cared about, the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church Building Fund (2446 Old Church Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23111), the Marshall-Moretz Christmas Dinner Fund at First Presbyterian Church (P.O. Box 165, Richmond, Ky. 40476), or the Telford YMCA  would all be worthwhile choices. Any organization that matters to you would also be suitable.

A memorial service was held on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m., at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, 2446 Old Church Road, Mechanicsville.