William Moseley

William DeWitt Moseley, an emeritus International Mission Board missionary who shared the gospel among American Affinity Peoples in Brazil and Central Asia, died Dec. 30, 2019. He was 81.

Born May 10, 1938, in Wauchula, Florida, he is the son of the late Luke and Mildred Groff Moseley. He graduated from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg and received the Bachelor of Arts from Mississippi College and the Bachelor of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, then in Mill Valley, California.

Although he had felt called to the ministry while in high school, he wrote when seeking missionary appointment, that in college, “I had some difficulty in settling down and studying. … I dropped out one semester and during that time I made my decision to enter mission work. This thinking had started the semester before as I was returning on the bus from the Thanksgiving holidays in 1958. I picked up Life magazine and began reading of some missionaries who had lost their lives in Ecuador in 1956. The thought crossed my mind that God might call me to go.

“I had never considered mission work before, but now it got on my heart.”

The next March he committed himself to missions. “The decision was so real and meaningful to me that it has become a great impetus in carrying me on toward my goal. At times, I wished to quit school and take a short cut, but I could not escape my call.”

While completing his studies, Moseley married Barbara Ann Cooke on Aug. 7, 1963. He served as pastor of churches in Mississippi and California before they were appointed missionaries to Brazil Nov. 2, 1971.

Bill and Barbara served as missionaries for about 20 years in Brazil and about 10 years in Central Asia. After retirement, he continued his ministry as pastor of various churches in upstate South Carolina.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years Barbara; a son Billy Moseley (Lynn) of Easley; two daughters, Liz Butler (Stu) of Anderson, S.C., and Becky Alonso (Tony) of Wuhan, China; and six grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Jan. 4, 2020, at Cross Roads Baptist Church in Easley.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the International Mission Board, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or to the building fund for Elljean Baptist Church, Pickens, S.C.

Read an obituary here.