Jack Gene Moser passed from this life on July 20, 2016, at his home in Vilas. He was 88.

He was born July 31, 1927, on a farm outside of Lakin, Kansas. His namesakes were Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. He was the son of John Keith Moser, Sr. and the former Eva Lautaret.

His family moved to a farm outside of Hugoton Kansas, when he was a young child. At 6 years of age Jack contracted diphtheria. His younger sister was born during this time. His family later joked they thought they were going to gain one and lose one. Lucky for all of us…Jack fully recovered.

Some of his first chores were hand topping milo, feeding livestock and picking ears of corn. He attended Faye School, a small one room building, for seven years. He then finished his education at Hugoton High School in 1945.

After graduation he joined the Marine Corp taking boot camp at Paris Island, South Carolina. He volunteered for China but ended up at Pearl Harbor. While there he was chosen to do a few scenes to be used in a recruiting movie for the Marines. Jack also played on the football team. They were coached by Les Horvath, the 1944 Heisman Trophy winner. They won the Pacific Championship.

On February 16, 1950, he married Maxine Hayes in Clayton, New Mexico. They started their lives together on a farm in Baca County. Jack was recalled to active duty to fight in the Korean War. He served for just over a year with a recon platoon with the Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division.
Jack saw action on the front lines until he made Sergeant. His next duty was that of Supply Sgt. Jack proudly served his country and continued that service as Commander of the Baca County VFW Post 4001 in the early 1960s.

After the war Jack and Maxine returned to their farm and life became routine; planting, cultivating, harvesting and taking care of his cattle. He always tried to make some time for a little deer hunting and fishing which he loved to do. He and Maxine traveled to the mountains each year where they caught and fried about 80-100 trout daily to feed the hungry mouths around the campfire.

No one loved a good joke more than Jack. He always had one at the ready to pull on his next victim.

Jack is survived by his sisters; Louise White and Edwina Reid, and a brother-in-law Charles Reid. Many nieces and nephews also survive.

Jack is preceded in death by his wife, Maxine; Roland and Dorothy Moser, Keith and Mabel Moser, Howard and Betty Hayes, Oscar and Vivian Hayes, Horace and Donna McCashill and Jay and Phyllis Pulus.