Richard Moss

(From Mason-Woodard Mortuary)

Richard “Dick” Moss, 81, of Joplin, MO died Monday, October 12th, 2026. He passed in the hospital after a short illness.

Richard was born on February 4th, 1945 to Katherine and Chester Moss in Inglewood, CA. At age 6, he took on his first paper route for the L.A. Examiner and started making his way in the world.

When he was 8, his family moved to a small farm in Carthage, MO and Richard attended a one-room schoolhouse. His father put him to work handling much of the farm work: tending the beef cattle, milking the cows, harvesting the oats, and raising the chickens. In 1957, his dairy cow won the Grand Champion Ayrshire at the Jasper County Fair.

In 1962, he graduated from Sarcoxie High. In 1966, he was part of the National Guard and was named the Outstanding Trainee of his company. At the behest of his brother Winston, he finished his education at Missouri Southern State University. He graduated in the first class of its new four-year program in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Living in Kansas City, MO, he met Margie Graves. They dated for a year and were married on October 25th, 1975. They had two children: Katherine (now DeGraff), born in 1981, and Cole, born in 1987. He and Margie were married for 50 years until his death.

He taught science at Sarcoxie High School for one year in 1970 before working as a salesperson at Eagle-Picher. In 1980, he left Eagle-Picher, took out a loan, and founded RAMCO Insulation, a company he would run until his death. He made his first shipment on the day his daughter Katherine was born.

He spent most of his days dreaming of his next meal. There wasn’t a day that passed without him talking about his favorite meals in close and far-off places. Meals like the Animal-style burgers at In-N-Out, lamb chops at Wilder’s, the sourdough at Poilâne, or the eggs benedict at the Bruncheonette. He was even written up in The Joplin Globe for his famous rib recipe, and we can safely reveal now that his secret BBQ sauce recipe was a 3:1 mix of Kraft BBQ sauce and Pearl Milling Company syrup.

He loved traveling with his family and friends to Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Israel, Cuba, Greece, and many times to France. He loved visiting museums and seeing other ways of life. He said the most beautiful thing he ever saw was the springtime waterfalls of the Lauterbrunnen valley in the Swiss Alps. And just like the Swiss, he loved being punctual.

He had a deep affection for nature. He loved the tall sequoias and redwood trees, especially in Muir Woods. From his favorite chair, he kept a daily watch of the bald eagles on the southern edge of Joplin. He loved the natural beauty of Colorado and California and spent many summers and winters there with his family and friends, most often making the journey via road trip.

He loved golfing with his buddies at Twin Hills, and enjoyed skiing and tennis with his family. In 2008, he hit a hole-in-one. Famously, he said he could sometimes beat his wife in tennis until they were married and then she started playing for real and never let him win again. (Ed. note: his wife disputes this.) He loved watching the Kansas City Chiefs, Wimbledon, the Tour de France, and golf. He had a deep affection for classical music and also loved the Moody Blues, Cat Stevens, and Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert.

He enjoyed getting active and admired ambitious people. Throughout his life, Richard was always befriending older, father-like figures. He used to have a weekly standing lunch with a small group of older gentlemen at the Butcher’s Block.

Richard helped build out the St. Peter’s Outreach House, worked at the Community Clinic of Joplin for nearly 10 years, and helped for many years with the Joplin Golf Foundation. In 2017, he was inducted into the Joplin Golf Hall of Fame for his work.

These accomplishments were important to him, but nothing meant more to him than his family. He was deeply devoted and loyal.

Richard Allen Moss is survived by Margie Louise Moss (spouse), Katherine DeGraff (daughter), Cole Moss (son), Brad DeGraff (son-in-law), Linda Moss (sister), Bradshaw DeGraff (grandson), and Richard DeGraff (grandson).

He was preceded in death by his parents Katherine (Johannes) Moss and Chester Moss, Alyce Flaherty (sister), Winston Moss (half-brother), Mary Ellen Homeier (half-sister), and Wilda (Candy) Reiersen (half-sister).

His Memorial Mass will be at St. Peter’s Church on Saturday, October 17th at 1:00 PM.

A Visitation and Memorial service will occur at Mason-Woodard Mortuary on Monday, October 19th. The visitation will start at 11:00 AM, the Memorial Service will start at 12:00 PM, and the burial will be around 1:00 PM at Osborne Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Peter’s Outreach House, LifeChoices, or a charity of your choosing.