William Moushéy
Organized chess tournaments
When William J. Moushéy learned to play chess at age 8, the sport quickly became
his passion. Later, checkered boards and chess pieces would become part of his daily life, from chess bumper stickers to a telephone
number that spells "pawn."
"He changed my son's life," said Joe Regenbogen of St. Louis County, whose son
was coached by Mr. Moushéy. "With his help, Jack went on to compete in
the nationals for kindergarten, and he won."
A funeral Mass for Mr. Moushéy, a former teacher in St. Louis, was held Friday
at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 3140 Meramec Street. Interment was at
Resurrection Cemetery.
Mr. Moushéy, a chess tournament organizer in St. Louis, died Tuesday
(May 1, 2001) of a heart attack at his home in St. Louis. He was 52.
A native of St. Louis, Mr. Moushéy graduated with a bachelor's degree
in education from the University of Missouri at St. Louis. He later earned a
master's degree in education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.
Mr. Moushéy taught social studies and history at the old St. Boniface
Elementary School in St. Louis, the old Mont Providence School in Normandy and
in the St. Louis Public Schools.
While serving as a volunteer chess coach at Holy Family School in St. Louis
and later at Metro High School, Mr. Moushéy helped both teams become
state chess champions.
Mr. Moushéy was a national tournament director with the United States
Chess Federation and organized chess tournaments in the St. Louis area,
including the United States Open Team Chess Championship.
In 1980, Mr. Moushéy helped organize a chess tournament in memory
of Mike Sarnoff, a 16-year-old chess prodigy who was bicycling home from
a chess match when he was killed by a drunken driver in 1979.
Mr. Moushéy was a former executive director of the Missouri Chess
Association. An avid baseball fan and historian, he was also a member of the
Society of American Baseball Research.
Mr. Moushéy often spoke his mind through letters to the editor and
newsletters.
"If he saw something he didn't like, he was very opinionated, and he would
state his opinion," Regenbogen said. "But if you looked beneath the surface,
he always had his heart in the right place, and he was always being honest
and being Bill."
Among survivors are his wife, Sandra L. Wheeler Moushéy of St. Louis;
his mother, Joanna Moushéy of St. Louis County; and two brothers,
Albert L. Moushéy III of St. Louis County and Daniel Moushéy
of Brentwood.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart
Association, Memorial Processing Center, 5375 Southwest Seventh Street,
Topeka, Kan. 66606; or the American Diabetes Association, 10820 Sunset
Office Drive, Suite 220, St. Louis, Mo. 63127
from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 6, 2001.