Memories of John Moller

In 2004, we remembered John Moller, a longtime FA in the Tacoma office. He passed away from glioblastoma earlier in the year, and we Relayed in memory of him.

In keeping with our western theme of being "bullish on the cure", our photoboard shared memories of him, as passed along by those who knew him best.

A few are excerpted below...

My fondest memories of John…Being's that I am on display on the west hall, every morning, John would stand at the opposite end of the hall and wave good morning to me, I sure do miss that! Also, as you know I'm always chewing on something so I have always had food around, John didn't touch the candy on my desk that often, but when he smelled my popcorn he'd come a running. It had gotten to the place to whenever I fixed popcorn I'd take some to him in a coffee filter, he loved it! I can still hear his voice.....
-Diana Miller, Receptionist, Tacoma

John was a terrific guy. He was a little rough on furniture at the Tacoma Club but a great guy nonetheless. I will miss his laugh - LOUD. I will miss his turn to pay at our breakfast meetings - SLOW. But most of all I will miss his presence in the office - QUALITY! His family is his mark on the world. He was a friend to many. He was a friend of mine.
-Dick Snyder, FA, Tacoma

John loved his family and his church. He would do anything for anyone. John always had an opinion on anything and everything at morning coffee, and usually, he was wrong, about half the time. He was a big guy with a big laugh (which drove Snyder nuts) and I miss the heck out of him.
-Lou Berquest, retired FA, Tacoma

Our friendship spanned decades and many LOS years together. The best memories I have include laughter and joy – usually at our expense! I remember when Lou spilled his ice water, and John broke the chair at the Tacoma Club…one of his finer moments. Throughout the years, I encouraged him to join Bible Study Fellowship, and our friendship was solidified as his faith grew stronger. Fishing was one of our favorite pastimes. Among the best memories there, I had a trip lined up on lower Quinault and couldn’t make it – so I invited John and Hass to go down, and each of them caught a 20+ lbs steelhead (and John’s hung proudly in his office for years). I will never forget when we were all on a fishing trip, and their boat capsized. Of the three aboard the boat, one drowned, and John helped save Hassel’s life. He was a incredible support to me. I remember how great his laugh was, especially when I told the story of my dog Andy jumping out of the car, getting run over by a different car, and eating rat poison as my bill for the dog was approaching $6000. I can’t wait to see him again in heaven and catch him up on Andy stories.
-Tom Mauss, FA, Tacoma

Like others I have many memories of John. One in particular was when he went to Ecuador to help build a church. He brought me back a bag of "real coffee, not what they sell here in the states". That was John always thinking of others.
-Kim Bell, Manager’s Assistant, Tacoma

The best memory I have is of John…At the same time that John was fighting his cancer, my brother-in-law had an aortic aneurysm and a stroke. Instead of thinking about himself, the first thing John would say, when he saw me, is “how’s your brother in law?” His care and interest in other people and his amazing faith was an inspiration to me.
-Dave Ludwig, FA, Tacoma

I’m seven offices away, and when something would get him going, you could hear his laugh for miles…it was a classic.
-Matt White, FA, Tacoma

I had great difficulty finding a memory that wasn’t laced with profanity. Over the years, if I ever had questions, I’d go to Leif or John. He was my “go to” guy, and he could answer my most complicated questions. Lisa, John and I would go to lunch the day before any major holiday – sitting on the deck and seeing all the people he knew. What he was most famous (or is it infamous?) for was the Billy Bass he received as a gift. I suffered through 8 hours of “Take It To The River”…over and over again. Something tells me there’s a special place in heaven reserved for those who owned a Billy Bass.
-Lorraine Wilson, FA, Tacoma

All of us at Merrill Lynch miss John very much. It was always a treat to hear his latest fish tale or “Moose Camp” adventure. It just isn’t the same in his corner without his booming laugh!
-Janice Prongue, CA, Tacoma

How do you describe John’s laugh? You could hear it with doors closed! There’s no way to sum up how much he’ll be missed.
-Bob Zawilski, FA, Tacoma