Making small things big- Local author, columnist dies

Whether it was a story about life on the farm or a tale about the bumblebees buzzing about her flower gardens, Jean Bell Mosley could spin a story that kept her audiences captivated.

"She was able to notice the little things, the truly important things in life and weave them all together in a tapestry of larger meaning," said her son, Steve Mosley.

Jean Bell Mosley died Friday at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was 89.

Mosley had been a columnist for the Southeast Missourian since 1955 and had published dozens of short stories and magazine articles, as well as six books.

She had received awards from the Missouri Writers Guild and Cape Girardeau Writers Guild and alumni merit awards for outstanding literary accomplishments from both Southeast Missouri State University and Mineral Area Community College in Flat River, Mo.

In 2001, she was honored with a Women's Impact Award from the Girl Scouts of America, Otahki Council. In 1979, she received the Dingeldein Award for outstanding achievement in the arts.

Mosley was born in 1913 in Elvins, Mo., a mining town in the state's Lead Belt. Many of her stories were set among the farms and hills she traveled as a youngster. Many of those experiences were recounted in her second book, "Wide Meadows," that was first published in 1960. The newspaper ran a serial of the book in 2001.

One of Mosley's greatest talents was her ability "to reach back to then and tie it with now," her son said.

Accidental start

Mosley began her writing career somewhat by accident. She wrote her autobiography for a junior college assignment and was encouraged to try her hand at fiction. Years later, after earning a teaching degree, marrying and giving birth, she picked up a magazine at the grocery store and read a story written by a housewife about life on the farm.

Mosley, motivated by what she'd read, wrote her own short story about her family and submitted it to Woman's Day, which published the article. After writing several articles for the magazine that included some of the same characters and place settings, she realized she could write a book. And Mosley went on to write more.

In the past few months, she'd had stories published in Guideposts magazine and continued writing for the Southeast Missourian. In April, her article "Green Grape Pie" was selected as a favorite story in a reader survey for "Angels on Earth," a Guideposts publication.

Steve Mosley said many people who read his mother's columns and other writings might have thought she was sort of mystical and "otherworldly." But in reality, she was very much captivated by the news of today.

"It never ceased to amaze me as to how much she kept up with everything going on in the world," he said. "She just had an unbelievable curiosity. I was always working just to stay ahead of her with the latest news."

But it wasn't just current events that held her interest. Reading and observing nature were an integral part of her daily activities. Steve Mosley said he remembers his mother reading books to him when he was a child.

She was always a storyteller.

"When you're young you aren't always able to absorb it or catch on but her stories always had a message, whether moral or religious," he said. "It took me years to realize that and I always wished I'd paid more attention."

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Ford & Sons Mount Auburn Chapel. Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at the chapel.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 136