Amos N. Moses Jr.

Amos Nathan Moses, Jr. was born August 16, 1942 to Amos Moses, Sr. and Ida Moses of Norman. At a young age you could find him playing anything western. He loved riding horses and loved animals, especially his beloved horse Mona and his dog Dutchess. Amos went to 1st grade at McKinley in Norman where he met some best friends and have remained throughout the years to be lifelong friends of his. As an only child, he enjoyed playing with his cousins, Glenda and Delores and there are some fond memories of mischief amongst them. He loved riding his horse everywhere when he was young and later loved driving various cars off of his father’s car lot. A good friend said, “they always had a different car to drive, so fun.”

He loved growing up in Norman and shared many fond memories of how Norman used to be and enjoyed reminiscing. He went on through school in Norman and became an excellent saxophone player. He was in the band at Norman High and even formed his own band named Mose and the Deacons that played in both high school and college. He had many great stories about playing at parties both on and off OU Campus. He loved high school and his friends from high school remained his close friends. He graduated Norman High in 1960 and then went on to the University of Oklahoma. In 1964, he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Major in Finance and Minor in Accounting and Economics. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, the Dean’s Honor Roll, Finance Club, and the Society for the Advancement of Management. He went on to obtain his Juris Doctor in 1967 from OU School of Law and during that time was a member of Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity. In 1968, he travelled to Glendale, Arizona to attend American Graduate School of International Management and completed a specialized post-graduate program with emphasis in international trade procedures, language, politics and Latin American study.

Following his post graduate program, he went on to travel to Dallas, Texas, where he started working for Braniff Airlines as their corporate attorney and Labor Relations Representative. Handling negotiations, labor agreements, and contract interpretations, he quickly moved up in Braniff as Manager, then Director of Labor Relations, Legal Counsel of Personnel, Staff Vice President of Labor Relations, ultimately becoming Braniff’s Corporate Vice President of Personnel Resources. He served as their trial attorney for labor litigation, and negotiated labor contracts with various labor unions including International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Association of Machinists, Air Transport Dispatchers, Airline Pilots Association, and the Association of Flight Attendants. During his time at Braniff, he met and married Christine and in 1978 his daughter Meredith was born.

He was the most loving and caring father and he felt she was his proudest accomplishment. Meredith described him as “The best Daddy in the entire world and my best friend.” He was a great teacher of life and so very patient. He shared his love of horses and riding with his daughter. He enjoyed taking her fishing and there was much time spent outdoors around ponds with fond memories from the Farm and Roaring River. He also shared his love for antiques, history and cultures, civil war era, and Southwest art. They enjoyed going to museums, art shows and exhibits, historical sites, spending time talking together as well as listening to music. There were many moments of “Listen to this! What a great sound!.”

He went on from Braniff to go into private law practice in Norman from 1982-1988, joining with his dear friend Mike Martin and forming the practice Martin, Moses and Gray. Later, he worked as Bond Administrator for Pima County in Tucson, AZ. He also served as Director of Management Review and Organizational Development. In 1995 he became the Director of Human Resources for Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department in Oklahoma City, where he retired. In his retirement, he enjoyed spending time studying antique guns and spending time with family and friends. He most recently enjoyed listening to blues music, getting in the car driving while spending time with his companion Tammy. “An incredible man. He had the greatest sense of humor, you had to really listen closely to determine if he was being serious or not.”

In 2007, he proudly welcomed Jeff as his Son in Law. In 2011, he was excited to become a grandfather when his first grandson Aidan Rowland was born. He was later blessed with a second grandson in 2012, Grant Rowland. He fondly earned the name “Home Grandpa” and loved the boys so very much saying they were “The sweetest.” While spending time with Aidan, Amos noticed an early interest in music and surprised him with his first guitar earlier this year as he began guitar lessons. He enjoyed spoiling his grandchildren and giving Grant his first bite of a Snickers. He loved his grandchildren tremendously and he always lovingly joked with Meredith and Jeff that he didn’t know how they “got such loud children”.

A good friend said "We all know that Amos had a unique, distinct, and pleasing personality. Everyone wanted to be around him. He brought immediate joy, pleasure, and laughter to anyone who was listening. His communication style was remarkably different than others. He had such a slow, deep, distinct, and melodic tone of voice, with perfect timing and pitch,that captured the enjoyment and attention of everyone. Amos was also very smart. We all listened to him carefully and thoughtfully because we knew whatever he was saying had merit and was important. And it didn't matter whether the subject was family, politics, guns, school days, athletics, or whatever; he was well-versed on all issues.” Amos loved life, loved jokes and always had the ability to make people laugh. Another friend said “ the sly smile and subtle humor of Amos Moses, Jr., He had a sense of humor like no other. Always quiet and seemingly unassuming. You found yourself laughing while Amos feigned surprise.” He enjoyed and cared deeply for his many friends over the years and valued the time they spent together. He always wondered where people were and how they were doing. He could spend hours talking and laughing with friends and family and was many people’s “go to” for advice. He never got in a hurry and no one would say they felt rushed to tell their story to Amos or to talk for a great while. He knew how to have fun in life and treasured the little things that make life special.

He was loved by all. We will always love and miss you.