Lorraine (Crutchfield) Mosley

Lorraine Mosley

Nee Crutchfield

July 28, 1930-June 27, 2023

Lorraine Mosley was born to Robert Crutchfield, Sr. and Hester Counts in Hot Springs, Arkansas on July 28, 1930.  She was the third of five children. Lorraine grew up in a religious family where she learned to love the Lord. She passed away peacefully on June 27, 2023, at 92 years old.

Lorraine moved to Chicago during the Great Migration in the 1950s seeking a life of more opportunity for herself and her young son, Stanford.  There she met and married Henry H. Mosley in 1954.  They moved to Gary, Indiana and built a life together that included Stanford, Henry’s two children, Henry Jr. and Annette, and three children from their union, Deborah, Charles, and Alma Patricia.

Always good with numbers, Lorraine worked for A&P for 20 years, where she was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and became the first Black head cashier in Indiana.  Lorraine also worked as a bookkeeper for the Catholic Diocese of Gary after retiring from A&P in 1985.

A devout Catholic, Lorraine was a member of St. Monica Catholic Church and Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where her son, Fr. Charles Mosley, serves as pastor.  She was active for 25 years with the National Office of Black Catholics (NOBC), which advocated for the Church to be more inclusive of African Americans and more supportive of the broader civil rights movement.  It established the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Washington, DC.  Lorraine received the Dr. Martin Luther King award for her work with NOBC.

Lorraine was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Claver, the largest African-American Catholic lay organization in the United States, named for the Spanish priest who ministered to enslaved Africans. She was a Fourth Degree Lady of Grace in St. Clara Ann Martin Chapter 39, where she served as the Faithful Comptroller.  She was also Financial Secretary of the St. Monica/St. Luke Court 289.  

Lorraine was strong-willed and enjoyed many passions, including cooking, singing, and gardening.  Many say her singing made them feel the Holy Spirit. In 2000, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling to the Holy Land.

Lorraine is survived by her children: Deborah Mosley Bennett, Fr. Charles Mosley, Alma Patricia Mosley, Henry Mosley, Jr. (Melva), and Annette Parker; grandchildren: Temikorede Bennett, Temitutu Bennett, Ajani Bennett, Kani Terry, Cory Mosley, Pamela Mosley, Shelumiel Williams, Asher Parker, Kevivah Parker, and Carleeyah Parker; and 17 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Rev. Lawrence D. Anderson, Sr., and a host of loving family and friends.

Lorraine was preceded in death by her husband, Henry H. Mosley, Sr.; son, Stanford Terry; grandsons, Joaquin Terry and Ajibawo Bennett; parents, Robert Crutchfield, Sr., and Hester Counts; brother, Robert Crutchfield, Jr.; and sisters, Norma Jean Scott and Georgia Ranier.

It is said that people die twice – once when they take their last breath, and again when their name is spoken for the last time.  You won’t die twice, Lorraine.  We will always say your name.

Friends are invited to join the family for visitation on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Bocken Funeral Home, 7042 Kennedy Ave. Hammond, IN 46323 and on Thursday, July 6th from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church 7132 Arizona Ave. Hammond, IN 46323. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00 a.m. with Rev. Charles Mosley Celebrant. Burial to follow at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery, Hobart, IN. The funeral mass can be viewed on livestream by going to www.bockenfunerals.com scroll down below Lorraine’s obituary and click on the camera at 10:00 a.m. CST on Thursday July 6, 2023. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church would be preferred. For further information, please contact Bocken Funeral Home at 219-844-1600.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lorraine (Crutchfield) Mosley, please visit our floral store.