On Monday, August 26, 2024, Maurice "Moe" Joseph Ferland met his Lord and Savior in comfort and peace.

Moe was born in Blackstone, Massachusetts to Celina and Gabriel Ferland.  He was the second of their three children. He had an older brother Roger and an Irish twin sister Jeannine.

Moe had some hardships growing up but he never let them get in his way. It took two years to figure out he was legally blind. Glasses were very thick and very expensive. They had to be very careful of the glasses. Glasses that thick took weeks to make.  Growing up was tough, but only because he didn't let his brother tell him he couldn't do something. As soon as Roger dared him to do anything, Moe would do it. Then Rodger would go and tattle. Moe, or Maurice as his mom called him, would be in trouble.  So what Rodger did to Moe, Moe did to Jeannine.

He learned to be independent due to his eyes, so leaving home in his teens to go to school was just another challenge. When he came home for holidays, he started working at Tupperware sweeping floors. After high school, Moe felt the calling to be a priest. In his second year there, the bishop came to him and said that he really needed to find something else to do. "No-one will ever want a blind priest." In typical Moe fashion, he stuck it out another year, while still working at Tupperware at every break.  Finally, he decided, "Why should I be somewhere where they don't want me?"  He then started working at Tupperware full time in the packing department. Within the month, he was the supervisor. One day, his boss came in and asked, "If we ask you to move somewhere would you go?"  Moe responded, "Absolutely!"

The following year they moved him to Halls, TN to start up their new plant. He made great friends and someone would always stop and pick him up on his walk to work. It was there where he met Pat. Within the year they were married. Pretty soon their daughter, Janet, would arrive.  His boss came back after being there for 5 years and said, "Would you like to move again?" That's how he ended up in Johnsonville.  He was now in charge of production planning and worked in the plant. He ended up as Assistant Plant Manager.

Even though he had a desk job, you would hardly ever find him there. He was always in the plant, checking on production and employees. He was a very fair boss and paid no attention to race. He stood up for anyone with a hard work ethic. It was because of his influence that several people were hired or promoted when during that time, they would not have.

As he aged, so did his eyes. Instead of riding his bike to work, yes he did that, Pat would have to take him. But one thing ALWAYS stayed consistent. HE LOVED WALKING!!  When he finally retired, he would walk all the time in his neighborhood. He also loved to travel. After retirement he had time to go and see all the things he didn't get to while working. He and Pat would get in that car and drive all over the eastern seaboard. Even though, he grew up in New England, he was a die heart Yankees and Giants fan, which drove his nephews nuts.

Moe liked to do genealogy and even did it for others. Anything history related was a passion, too. He probably would have a Bachelors' Degree in History with all the books he has read and listened to; however, his biggest passion was his 2 grandsons, Hunter and Michael. Those two had their Pepe wrapped. No one else could ever get him to go to a fast food restaurant but they could!  Each spring break they would go with them to the beach which was referred to as "Camp Meme Pepe."  Those grandparents went to as many ballgames as they could.  All those boys had to do was call….Meme and Pepe were there.

After Pat died, Moe stayed in Johnsonville up until his heart attack, which happened when he was walking. After that, he moved to Lancaster with Janet. While there, he didn't let his sight stop him at all. He went caverning in Montana, snow tubing in North Carolina, and traveled cross country twice. He really like Sequoia National Park and the Grand Canyon. After visiting those places, he said, "They are so big, I can see them."

Even though he was in the car a lot on those trips, he would always be up at 5:45 a.m. to go walking in the parking lot.  Moe walked up until about a month before his death. He had about 30,000 miles with his cane with no telling how many before. He let nothing stand in his way. If it did, he would just hit it with his stick!

Moe is survived by his daughter, Janet McCowan and his "son" Jamie; two grandsons, Hunter (wife, Kaylee) and Michael.  Moe was fortunate to have a great granddaughter Hadlee.  He is also survived by his sister, Jeannine (husband, Renee) of Woonsockett, RI; four nieces, Patt, Nikki, Angie, and Camille; and  five nephews, Danny, Tim, Pete, Chris and Will.

Services for Moe will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 31, 2024 in St. Phillip Catholic Church located at 120 Westover Street, Lake City, SC  29560.  Burial will follow in the Garden of Devotion, 800 S Georgetown Highway, Johnsonville, SC, 29555.

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