TYLER, Texas — Community members are mourning the loss of an East Texas pastor who served in ministry and the community for over 30 years.
Dr. Jerard R. Mosley Sr., pastor at North Star Missionary Baptist Church in Tyler, passed away at the age of 50 on Friday, Aug. 9, the Mosely family announced through a memorial card online. The card reads, "We loved you, but God loved you more. Till we meet again ..."
His son, Jerard Mosley Jr., said he now reminisces about a song he and his father wrote together just shortly before his passing Friday.
"We were just talking about life and everything, how life is so crazy, you never know what can happen," Mosely Jr. said.
The song titled, "Everything is Going to be Alright," has become a phrase that resonates with Mosely Jr. even more now.
"We just started thinking about life," Mosely Jr. said. "Don't worry about everything that's going on. Don't worry about me, don't worry about anybody else. But just know that at the end of the day, everything is going to be Ok. Everything's going to be alright, because we've got the victory."
The Mosley family bonded through music and faith over the years.
"When I was a baby, he'd sit me up on his lap and just play the piano and let me listen and peck at notes," Mosely Jr. said.
Mosely Sr. was a caring father, devoted pastor at North Star Missionary Baptist Church since 2015 and a friend to many.
He first accepted the call to ministry in June 1993. He later preached his first sermon and became licensed in September of the same year. Mosley began pastoring in 1995 at New Home Baptist Church of Gladewater. In March of that year, he was ordained at New Bethel Baptist Church in Tyler.
He graduated from John Tyler High School and Tyler Junior College with a sociology degree. He later earned a bachelor of science in sociology from Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, according to North Star's website.
"The city is saddened at his loss, simply because not only are we going to miss him, but we're going to miss everything that he's provided us," Smith County Pct. 1 Constable Ralph Caraway Jr.
Caraway is a pastor at Greater St. Mary's Church and always looked to Mosely for advice.
"Loss is never easy, but it's definitely not easy when it's someone that you've come to love and appreciate," Caraway said.
Mosely Sr. leaves behind his wife Ketrese, two daughters Jermaii and Jernai and son Jerard Jr.
"He was a true role model for the type of person that I want to be. A lot of people like I said, knew my dad as a pastor, as a teacher, as a friend, but I knew him as dad," Mosely Jr. said.
Mosely Sr. will be laid to rest Saturday at the Rose Heights Church in Tyler.
A GoFundMe has been created to support Mosely Jr.'s as he is set to attend Texas State University this year. You can donate here.