Joseph Mow age 83 died on December 4, 2009 at Holbrook’s On The Hill nursing home in Buckhannon. He was born on July 10, 1926, in Mussoorie, India, the son of Anna Beahm Mow and Baxter Mow, who served as missionaries in that country. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Bunny” Mow of Buckhannon, whom he married on December 20, 1953, and three children: Peggy Lombardo of Albany, NY, and her two children, Tony and Krista Lombardo; Carolyn Mow, her husband Phil Pardi and son Emilio Pardi of Phoenicia, NY; and Andrew Mow, his wife Deborah Weinstein and their two children, Benjamin and Rachel Mow of Granite Falls, Washington. Also surviving are his sister, Lois Snavely, of Loris, SC, and his sister-in-law, Kathy Mow, in Farmington, PA. He was preceded in death by his brother, Merrill Mow. Joe attended Woodstock School in India and John Marshall High School in Chicago. He graduated from Manchester College in Indiana with a B.A., then studied at Bethany Biblical Seminary in Chicago and the University of Chicago, where he earned a B.D. and a Ph.D.. He studied at Oxford University during a sabbatical in 1971-72. Post World War II, Joe worked with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Brethren Service Unit in China expediting relief shipments into the interior and teaching Chinese farmers how to run tractors. He then went to Europe to work with the resettlement of war refugees, first with the Brethren Service Center, then with the World Council of Churches. Later he became Associate Director for Immigration Services of Church World Service in New York City. From 1958-1961, Joe was the pastor of the First Church of Deerfield, MA., which served the student population of Deerfield Academy as well as the community. He and his family came to Buckhannon in 1963 where he taught in the Department of Philosophy of West Virginia Wesleyan College where he served as the Dept. Chair until his retirement in 1988. Joe was a member of West Virginia state Ethics program Planning Committee, the West Virginia Philosophy Society, the Philosophical Association, and the American Society for Christian Ethics. He also served as Chairman of the American Academy of Religion section of Society for Philosophy of Creativity. Joe was an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a member of the First Congregational Church in Marietta, Ohio, as well as the Southeast Ohio Association of that denomination. He was a member of the Buckhannon Rotary Club for 46 years, and a Paul Harris Fellow. He volunteered for the Buckhannon River Habitat for Humanity. Following retirement, he and his wife traveled to Nicaragua, China, India and Europe. His hobbies included playing the violin, woodworking, sailing and reading. At his request, Joe will be cremated and his ashes buried in the foothills of the Himalayas near Woodstock School. A memorial service will be held at the chapel at West Virginia Wesleyan College on Monday, December 7th at 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Friends of the Library at West Virginia Wesleyan College, 59 College Avenue, Buckhannon, WV 26201 or to Buckhannon River Habitat for Humanity, P.O. Box 495, Buckhannon, WV 26201 in the name of Joseph B. Mow. Poling-st. Clair Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
