ROGER LEE MOSELEY

Roger L. Moseley had a ready smile and a hearty chuckle. He enjoyed being teased and was quick with a retort or joke or at least his distinctive eyebrow raise. As a husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa, great grandpa, friend, mentor, teacher, doggie-and-kitty daddy, he was well loved and that’s how he’ll be remembered.

He was a world traveler and also a bold adventurer who joined the marines as a young man and managed to spend 20 of those days in the brig for unexcused tardiness. Hopefully, he was more lenient with his own students during his tenure as a business professor at Portland State University. Braving the cockroaches and perfect weather, he moved to rural Hilo when Hawaii wasn’t yet a state to help set up the University of Hawaii’s program there.

A lifelong learner, Roger got his MBA from Harvard, his BA and PhD from the University of Washington, and was a Professor Emeritus in the PSU School of Business Administration. He relished reading the latest academic economics and scientific papers and could frequently be heard trying to start conversations about Bayesian statistics with strangers, toddlers, etc. In fact, it was his litmus test to see how qualified his medical doctors were. Did he mention he went to Harvard?

He was a sailor who loved being on the water. His loved ones cherish memories of spending time with him on various boats. At age 15, he started with a 4’x 8’ curved plywood, flat bottom, 10 HP motorboat, tooling around in the Puget Sound. Later, there were his beloved 16’ and 18’ Hobie catamarans. Not shockingly, he even had a cat named Hobie. He and Sylvia had a 19’Bayliner, a 24’ Ian Ferrier trimaran, and finally a 29’ Carver powerboat cabin cruiser. In any case, this mariner made sure to always either have a boat or friends with a boat. And regardless of the horsepower of the particular watercraft, he usually managed to put the pedal to the metal.

Roger was a car enthusiast, but not in the typical way. For example, he took his family’s green Ford station wagon and added a performance exhaust system to make it sound like a hot rod. And it was only at age 86 when he finally sold his sporty Miata.

A natural klutz, Roger had to work harder than most to pull off his magic tricks. For many years, Dr. M performed magic to the delight of children’s audiences in hospitals and schools with his balloon-making sidekick, Tomato the Clown. And more than once, he made his grandchildren the heroes of their grade schools.

Roger was a competitive player in games like chess and ping pong. He loved to trounce an opponent and wouldn’t hesitate just because they were his sons…and small children. He didn’t coddle Roger and Randy, but rather incentivized them to persevere up until they were good enough to actually beat him. He would lecture and encourage Kim and they developed a wonderful relationship that involved a lot of joking around.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and three children: Roger, Randy, and Kim. He also leaves behind many other loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other family members and friends. These are some words that his loved ones use to describe Roger L. Moseley: sweetie, warm smile, wonderful sense of humor, playful, respected, full-of-it, handsome, private, Bayesian, admirable, academic, hearty laugh, magical, a huge presence, enchanting, inspirational, witty, professorial and loving stinker.

Also, he went to Harvard.

On Saturday, March 14, 2020, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., there will be a “Celebration of Life” for him in the Ballroom at the Summerfield Clubhouse, 10650  SW Summerfield Drive, in Tigard, Oregon. As longtime fans and supporters of PSU Athletics, the Moseley family ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to PSU Athletics, PO Box 751, Portland, Oregon 97207, with checks made payable to PSU Foundation. In the note line, please put “In memory of Roger Moseley” or you can donate directly to the Viking Athletic Fund by visiting psuf.org/viking-athletics .

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