Melba Faye Moss

Melba Faye Moss passed away peacefully on August 14, 2023, in Norman, Oklahoma, in the physical and spiritual presence of a loving family. Faye lived in Oklahoma since the early 1960s, first in El Reno and later in Del City.

Faye was born on April 20, 1931, in Mexico, Missouri, the daughter of Nolan and Nona Boone. She and her brothers, Dean and Don, were raised in Mexico by their loving and devoted mother, Nona. She graduated from Mexico High School.

Faye met Joe Phelps, a student at the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, in 1951 and they later married. During her husband’s military service, Faye lived at several military bases as well as in Mexico where her first son was born. She later lived in Norman and St. Louis during her husband’s time in college. Upon his graduation, they lived in El Reno.

Faye’s first marriage ended in divorce but blessed her with four children, Malcom Vernon, Andrea Anne, Robert Alan, and James Ward, each of whom she loved and to whom she was devoted. After divorce, Faye demonstrated remarkable grit, resilience, and emotional strength. Determined to provide for her children, Faye, a homemaker with no job experience, found her first job as a retail clothing salesperson during a period in the 1960s when having a career was a challenge for a single mother. However, she persevered and forged a career of progressively responsible office management jobs.

In 1972, Faye met her second husband, Billy Moss, who coached her youngest sons in football. Faye always said she knew Bill was a special person because of his devotion to her children and they later married. They became active in the Christian church and developed the strong faith that sustained them both and gave their lives refreshed meaning. Their faith and love of family remained strong throughout the rest of their lives.

Faye was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; her brothers, Dean and Don; and her daughter, Anne. She is survived by her sons, Malcom, Bob, and Jim; her daughters-in-law, Sheila and Marian; and her granddaughters, Jessica, Shalana, and Jaime. She is also survived by a host of natural and step-children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Throughout her 92 years of life, Faye experienced joys with humble grace and hardships with resilient optimism. She was compassionate and caring with everyone and treated each person she met with charity, kindness, and dignity. In her final years, a strong Christian faith sustained her, especially when faced with physical hardships and the deaths of her beloved husband and daughter. She often said that she did not fear death but that her faith in heaven and God led her to believe that a better life lay ahead.

Each member of her immediate and extended family and her many friends will remember Faye as a loving, kind, and decent woman. To paraphrase the famous Oklahoman, Will Rogers, Faye never met a man, woman, or child she didn’t like.

Faye’s earthly remains will be buried together with her beloved husband, Bill, and cherished daughter, Anne. A memorial service is not planned. Instead, Faye’s memory will be forever held close in the hearts and minds of all those who knew and loved her.

Arrangements are under the direction of Moore Funeral and Cremation.

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