Lelia Mosig

Lelia Winans Mosig was born Jan. 3, 1913 in Washington D.C. and died Nov. 28, 2008 peacefully in her home. Service: A memorial service and celebration of Lelia's life will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6 at Saint Alban's Episcopal Church, 911 S. Davis Dr., in Arlington. Lelia grew up in Ft. Worth, and graduated from Fort Worth High School in 1930. She attended college at the University of Wisconsin for a time while living with an uncle and aunt. While there, she did typing for a family friend, Raymond Coffman who was a children's author. In 1937 Lelia accompanied the Coffman's on a trip around the world, caring for their two small boys, Gene and Pat, ages five and three. An avid writer, she kept a diary of her travels and adventures. A lovely young woman, she wrote that she received several marriage proposals on that trip. Lelia was married Oct. 4, 1939 to Carl Guido Mosig. They lived on Happenstance, Carl's homestead. Their first child, Bethelese was born Aug. 9, 1940. Two years later, Carl Lawrence was born Nov. 29, 1942 followed by Sylvia Ruth on Oct. 23, 1944. Their fourth child, David Anthony was born Oct. 14, 1951 and lastly, Linda Jean on Feb. 23, 1955. The family was members of Saint Alban's Episcopal Church in Arlington, where Lelia spent many happy hours volunteering. A gifted storyteller, she animatedly entertained any willing ear with the wonderful stories, both of her childhood and of her own immediate family. As she was an avid letter writer, she had much documentation from which to draw from. Her parents lived in Trinidad and Guam during her children's growing up years so she wrote letters almost daily documenting her family's adventures. She did not want her parents to miss one single event in her children's lives. Her father would pick up the mail on his way home for lunch. If there was a letter from Lelia, her mother would turn off the stove and sit and read aloud all of Lelia's letter, pages of single-spaced writing. Lelia enjoyed telling the story of how her father, hungry for lunch, would rise and stretch between pages. Lelia was a beautiful seamstress, able to sew a fine seam by hand. She made most of the beautiful clothes that she wore. She was a gifted painter and played piano and accordion. She will always be remembered for the lovely Swedish Tea Rings that she called Coffee Cakes. She made these during the holidays and delivered them to her priest, Father Beste and all her close friends and family members. Her hobbies were carpentry and brick laying. She spent many happy hours frequenting old salvage yards and collecting wooden windows, French doors and antique bricks which she used to remodel her home and make beautiful brick patios and walkways around it. She even shingled the exterior of the house with cedar shingles, loving every minute of the several years that the project took to complete. Lelia retired in 1967 from Nationwide Advertising, where she worked as a typist. She loved retirement as it enabled her to spend more time with her grandkids and of course, do more remodeling. Her husband, Guido, was instrumental in the founding of Dalworthington Gardens and upon their 50th wedding anniversary in 1989, Oct. 4th was deemed "Carl and Lelia Mosig Day" by then Mayor Al Taub. Lelia loved music and her home was filled with the sounds of Guy Lombardo, Chopin and Bach. She and Guido both loved old movies and looked forward to the likes of Casablanca, An Affair To Remember, It Happened One Night, and The Prisoner of Zenda when they happened to come on television. Her beloved husband passed away May 8, 1994. She missed him greatly but remained on the homestead. An energetic and animated individual, Lelia loved having family and friends around her. If you visited in her home, you were assured of a good time with much laughter listening to all the funny stories that she would tell. She left a legacy of these stories which were all written down with carbon copies upon her typewriter. Lelia was preceeded in death by her husband of 54 years Carl Guido Mosig, her parents, Lawrence Lewis and Ruth Fonville Winans, her brother, Fonville Winans and sister Ladie Ruth Walters. Survivors: She is survived by her children Bethelese Mosig Carpenter, Carl Lawrence Mosig, Sylvia Ruth Thompson, Dr. David Anthony Mosig and Linda Jean Bradley; her sister, Dorothy Winans Davis, 15 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces nephews. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lelia Mosig please visit our Sympathy Store.