November 10, 2004: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Obituaries: Fallen: Minneapolis Star Tribune: Peace Corps volunteer Melissa Mosvick dies in Morocco
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November 10, 2004: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Obituaries: Fallen: Minneapolis Star Tribune: Peace Corps volunteer Melissa Mosvick dies in Morocco
Peace Corps volunteer Melissa Mosvick dies in Morocco
Peace Corps volunteer Melissa Mosvick dies in Morocco
Apple Valley Peace Corps volunteer dies in Morocco
Kevin Duchschere, Star Tribune
November 10, 2004 MOSVICK1110
Lexus of Maplewood
Melissa Mosvick's personal quest to promote international understanding began last year in the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate, where she taught English and computer skills to local artisans as a Peace Corps volunteer.
It ended there Saturday when Mosvick, 24, of Apple Valley, died after the public bus in which she was riding was struck by a truck. The accident killed one other person and injured several others, including another Peace Corps volunteer, officials said.
Mosvick's death stunned her family and friends, who said she had planned to get a master's degree in international studies after her two-year Peace Corps assignment, then go into foreign service.
"She wanted to do good work for the less fortunate, and she was willing to do that in service to her country," said her father, Mark Mosvick, of Apple Valley.
Mosvick had been in Ouarzazate, a city of about 40,000 near the Sahara Desert, for about a year. Her job was to train small-business owners, but she also found other ways to help struggling people, such as teaching disabled women to paint tea glasses for profit.
"Melissa went above and beyond to share her knowledge and skills with women's groups, artisans and people in her community," Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez said.
About 250 of an estimated 171,000 volunteers have died in the Peace Corps since 1961. A handful died violently, but the largest number, about 100, died in motor vehicle accidents, according to a report published last year by the Dayton Daily News.
Mosvick's mother, Barbara, said family members were proud of her service. They exchanged news often, through phone calls and e-mails, she said. Sometimes the daughter they called Honey Bee requested comforts from home, including sheets and dental floss.
But, her mother said, "It was very humbling and very spiritual for her to see what little you really need."
Mosvick graduated from Apple Valley High School and then attended the University of St. Thomas, where she earned a degree in international business in 2002. She worked in sales for her father's computer peripherals company in Burnsville before joining the Peace Corps.
Her grandfather, Roger Mosvick, said she considered taking a job with a large bank but instead chose "to commit her life to public service."
Suchita Desai, a friend of Mosvick's since high school, said she was "incredibly generous" and very funny. The two had planned to see each other when Mosvick came home for a two-week Christmas break.
"She defined friendship ... Many times people give up on people. She wouldn't do that," Desai said.
Besides her parents, Mosvick is survived by her sister, Kristin, of Apple Valley, and grandparents, Roger and Nona Mosvick, of Mendota Heights, and Odilo and Bernice Peine, of West St. Paul. Services are tentatively set for this weekend, and arrangements are being handled by White Funeral Home, 14560 Pennock Av., Apple Valley. Memorials are preferred to the Melissa Leigh Mosvick Memorial Fund, Bremer Bank, 633 S. Concord St., South St. Paul.
Kevin Duchschere is at
kduchschere@startribune.com
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Story Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Morocco; Obituaries; Fallen
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