The late Walter “Waldo” Moskie holds a photo from his time in the U.S. Army, where he served from 1942 to 1945. (File photo)
ST CLAIRSVILLE — World War II veteran Walter “Waldo” Moskie lived a life well lived.
Mr. Moskey, who died July 27, was a 101-year-old veteran who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1945. He was stationed in Italy during the war and flew more than 60 tours as a tail gunner and bombardier.
Born in Acosta, Pennsylvania in 1922, Mosky was orphaned in a family of seven. He was eventually adopted by George and Sue Myers. After his adoption, Mosky grew up in Myersdale, Pennsylvania.
After the war, as an adult, he found work in the Ohio Valley. He was employed by Consolidation Coal Co. from which he retired in 1984.
“After he got out of the Army, he went to work. He worked at the Georgetown Pharmaceuticals Plant in Cadiz until he retired in 1984,” said Moskey's son, Robert “Bob” Moskey.
“He taught us right from wrong,” Robert Moski added.
Robert is the owner and operator of Bob's Auto Body Sales in St. Clairsville and, like his father, is an Army veteran: Robert served from 1970-1972 and his brother, Charles, is an Army Reserve veteran who served from 1964-1970.
The military family also bonded over their shared love of NASCAR: Robert said Walter was a huge Dale Earnhardt fan and Robert actually attended auto races, and the 72-year-old has been going to auto races since the late 1960s.
Walter always supported his son's passion for racing, helping him work on his cars and attending races.
“He would go with me to NASCAR races and local race tracks,” Robert recalls.
Robert raced at local dirt tracks, a hobby that he and his father enjoyed while spending time together, and the Moski family traveled across three states to attend Robert's stock car races.
“He dragged that car all over Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio,” said Joe Petro, a friend of Walter's and commander of the St. Clairsville VFW.
In addition to his passion for race cars, Moski also made his own wine and gardened.
Petro said that even though Walter is 101 years old, his mind is as sharp as ever.
“His body was old, but his brain wasn't,” Petro said. “He was functioning right up until the very end.”
“I stopped in and saw him a few days ago and he was in a great mood, doing crossword puzzles and all sorts of stuff,” Petro continued.
Petro added that during his visit to Moski, Waldo shared his observations with the nurse who was administering the medication.
“You can't just turn an old body into a new one,” Moski says.
Moskie lived about 100 yards from the St. Clairsville VFW and was like family to his fellow members.
“Whenever there was something, even if he was in an area where he couldn't travel, we would pick him up. He lived about 100 yards from here so we would run up there or bring him food when he wanted to eat. When we had a fish fry for Lent in the spring, we brought him fish,” Petro said. “It was fun having him around, but I guess all things come to an end.”
The St. Clairsville VFW considered Mr. Mosky a cornerstone of its board of directors, where he served intermittently for several years due to term limits for the position. By all records, Mr. Mosky was a very well-liked man who was very supportive of the VFW, his friends and family.
“There were a lot of people at the funeral home. If you live for 100 years, you know a lot of people,” Petro said.
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