Laurie Farr Moseley

2020. She will be missed.

She was a follower of Jesus, an incredibly strong Christian, a great mom, loving grandmother, and a renowned artist and art teacher. She often said “....it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in or the kind of car I drove but that the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

She was a woman of many talents, with a heart of gold, and an unwavering ability to light up a room. As a former beauty queen, she was rarely seen without makeup, especially her bright red lipstick. Ms. Moseley, a Southern Bell, often pronounced words in a funny way (in her strong southern twang) and sometimes made some up. She was loved and cherished by family, and anyone who knew her. Referred to by several endearing and unique nicknames, Ms. Moseley was often called “Woogie” and “Mema” by friends and family.

Born in Columbia, she was the second child of the late James Sterling Farr. Jr. and Mary Grace

McClendon Farr. She graduated from Dreher High School where she was a cheerleader, Miss Blue

Devil, and active in art achievements.

After high school, she attended the John Robert Power School of Modeling in New York and acquired modeling positions in various national magazines. She attended the University of South Carolina (USC) with a major in Art.

While attending USC, she was featured as the Co-Ed of the Month in American Magazine, became Clemson Homecoming Queen (at time was an all male school), and then crowned Miss Taps of Clemson University. She also organized Laurie’s Charm School in Columbia in 1955 which helped pay her way through school. This was the first charm school known in S.C.

In 1955, she married the late Lehman A. Moseley, Jr. of Greenville, South Carolina, who passed away in January 2020. Married for 22 years, the two had four children together.

While she lived in Greenville, she started teaching art. She taught at Christ Episcopal School, Mitchell Road Christian Academy, our Lady of the Rosary Catholic School, and in the private art studio of her home. While in Columbia, she also taught both privately in her home as well as a downtown studio.

In her career, Ms. Moseley taught more than 3,000 children, adults, and teens how to draw and paint; while creating some masterpieces of her own. She exhibited her paintings in museums, banks, art shows, and local and state fairs. Her artwork is displayed in hundreds of businesses and homes throughout the United States..

She was a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy and Daughters of the American Revolution. She founded the “White Glove” cleaning service on Hilton Head Island where she worked for three years before selling the business. For many years, she was a senior consultant with Mary Kay cosmetics.

She was an active member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia in her early years, and was in the Bible Study Fellowship International (she loved studying God’s Word), and was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Greenville. Laurie was also member of the Heritage Bible Church Ladies Sunday School in Greer, until 2017 when her health began to decline.

In May 2019, she left her home in Greer and became a resident of Woodruff Manor of Woodruff, SC. The care that she received there from the loving staff for over 18 months was a blessing to her and her family.

Surviving are two sons, Mr. Lehman (Lee) Adwell Moseley III of Union, South Carolina, Mr. James (Jim) Luther Moseley of Greenville, South Carolina, and daughter Mrs. Sterling O’Neill of New Cumberland, PA, and one sister, Mrs. Mandy Muth of Bakersfield, CA, thirteen grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. Her fourth child, and daughter, Ellen Lavoie of Greer, South Carolina passed away in 2016. We miss her too.

A celebration of Ms Laurie Moseley’s life (better known to her family as “Mema” and to her earlier friends as “Woogie” ) is set for Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 1 pm, receiving family and friends at 12:00 - 12:45 PM at Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Century Drive- 311 Century Dr., Greenville, SC 29607 followed by internment at Woodlawn Memorial Park, Greenville, SC, www.mackeycenturydrive.com.

In lieu of flowers, it is Ms Laurie Moseley’s wishes that donations be sent to any of the two organizations listed below:

1. Send “In memory of Laurie Moseley”, to NEXTGEN Leadership Movement where her daughter

Sterling Moseley O’Neill and her son-in-law Jim O’Neill are Co-founders.

Make checks payable to NEXTGEN Leader and mailed to:

Frontier Ventures

P.O. Box 558

SE Facility, PA 19399-0558

2. Or make checks payable “in memory of Laurie Moseley”, to Union Presbyterian Church where her

eldest child, Lee Moseley, is the Pastor.

Send to:

Union Presbyterian Church

101 West South Street

Union, SC 29379

Following the burial, a small reception will be held for family and close friends.

at Embassy Suites, 670 Verdae Blvd, Greenville, SC 29607

(Please be assured both the Funeral Home and Family are being sensitive to space and social distancing due to COVID-19 both during the service and reception)