Washington DC (January 29, 2003) – Retired US Senator Frank E. Moss (D-UT)
passed away quietly today in his sleep at the age of 91 in his home town of
Salt Lake City, UT. Senator Moss was recuperating from a long illness, but took
a turn for the worse following the Christmas holidays. Senator Moss was known
to many as the “father of the Medicare home care and hospice benefit.”
Frank Edward Moss was one of the brightest stars to ever serve in the United States Congress. He was widely respected for his integrity, compassion, intelligence, and judicial temperament.
His colleagues referred to him as the “conscience of the Senate” and elevated him to the number three-ranking post in the Senate leadership, secretary of the Democratic Caucus. Moss ranks along with Hubert Humphrey and Claude Pepper as one of the most caring public servants ever to serve in the Congress. Moss realized his lifelong dream to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Utah and the nation and in doing so fulfilled his destiny as one of the greatest people ever to serve in the US Congress.
“The death of Senator Moss diminishes us all,” said Val J. Halamandaris, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. “At the same time it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the life of the man that Congressman Claude Pepper said had done the most to advance the interests of older Americans. His contributions after leaving the Senate, and particularly his helping to create the Caring Institute, an organization dedicated to the promotion of caring, integrity and public service, are every bit as impressive as the deeds he accomplished while he was in office.”
“It is appropriate at this time to do what he would have wanted us to do. This is to rejoice in his life and our time together. He would want us to celebrate, not to grieve. The Senator would also call upon us to rededicate ourselves to the ideals and values that he fought for all of his life. Let us resolve to follow his example, to press on until consumer’s rights are fully protected, the environment is safe, and home care and hospice are finally, once and for all, the heart and soul of home care in America.,”
Senator Moss is survived by his loving wife, Phyllis, his sons Brian, Edward and Gordon, daughter Marilyn and numerous grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Monday, February 3, 2003, at the Federal Heights Chapel of the L.D.S. Church. A viewing is planned for Sunday, February 2, 2003, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Larkin Mortuary in Utah.
“Senator Moss served the nation and his state with distinction. He ranks with the greatest who ever served in Congress,” asserts Halamandaris, who was a contributing editor on the subject of aging for The Encyclopedia of Congress. Click here for an excerpt from Heroes of the US Congress: A Search for the 100 Greatest Members of Congress, that briefly captures the highlights of Moss’ biography.
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