Sad news from Michigan: Terry Pepper of GLLKA reports that long-time GLLKA president Dick Moehl died at home sleep last night. He was a superb lighthouse community leader, a can-do guy with a winning attitude and an unmatched enthusiasm in meeting and surmounting challenges, and he will be deeply missed by the entire lighthouse preservation movement.
Dick will be remembered for the “Miracle of the Straits,” bringing the St. Helene Lighthouse back from ruin. He ferried scouts to the island for volunteer work that included many Eagle Scout projects, and his contagious love of that lighthouse and of the work that went into restoring it ignited a love of lighthouses and the island in all who worked with him.
As the guiding light of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association for nearly 30 years, Dick built that organization into a major binational leader in lighthouse preservation. He earned many honors from the preservation community and his state along the way, including the Ross Holland Award, the American Lighthouse Council’s lifetime achievement award.
There are no memorial details at present. But a leading light has gone out in this movement, as Dick crosses the bar. May God rest his soul, and may his example still shine for all of us who remain.
Mike Vogel
Dick was one of the most positive persons I ever met. He was always upbeat and full of energy. In addition to his keen love of lighthouses he was also a University of Michigan football fan. Dick will be missed but not forgotten. Go Blue!
That was beautifully written Mike! Dick will be sadly missed in the lighthouse world and for the the positive energy he provided for the GLLKA. It was my pleasure getting to meet him on a recent trip to Michigan for the Alpena Lighthouse Festival in 2014. It was also nice to learn how he cultivated scouts to become lighthouse preservationists. May he live on in everlasting light!
Dick has been a dynamic force in the lighthouse community since the 1980’s and his legacy will continue. I think I first met Dick at the North American Lighthouse Conference on Mackinac Island in 1987, and I was awed by his energy from the start. His heart, soul, and energy were always dedicated to lighthouse preservation and when Dick took on a project it was going to happen. He was one of the “niftiest” guys I ever met. Those who knew Dick will get the “nifty” reference.