The Blacksmith Under the Old Fir Tree

Jim von Mosch 1946-2020

Rising with the sun, tending his animals, brewing tea, a simple bowl of oatmeal.  Reading a million books in Spanish & English.  Enjoying music: Classic to Willy Nelson & Bob Dylan. Sharing Monty Python, Bloom Country and The Far Side with his kids. A builder, sailor, teller of “Dad” jokes.  A forester by training, he applied this knowledge to reforest & care for the land. Jim envisioned and created an oasis of natural beauty for our family. 

A real Boy Scout, Jim delighted in reciting, rapid fire, “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent”.  Jim lived those words. Fellow scouts and leaders recognized this.  At 14, Jim was tapped into the Order of the Arrow,  the BSA Honor Society, its watchword Service. A member of the first Snowden Community Council where crucial land planning protected wildlife. Twenty-eight years on the Volunteer Fire Department, eighteen as Chief.  A First Responder, EMT, Scout Master, and founder of the Youth Soccer Program.  As the owner/operator of Pronto Plumbing, Jim  trained many apprentices, guiding them into successful careers. After retiring in 2008, Jim joined the U.S. Peace Corps, sharing the life of campesinos in the mountains of northern Nicaragua. Jim loved that adventure. 

In smithing Jim found a match for his skills & personality. Tim Middaugh of Old West Forge, his first teacher, became a dear friend. Taking on the Treasurer's job, Jim dug into the accounts, putting them in business order. He looked forward to the yearly NWBA Convention and loved swapping tall tales around a fire or a forge.  A recent highlight was coordinating the production of 100+ poppies forged by NWBA members. In 2018, those 100+ poppies, and thousands sent from around the world, formed a memorial for  the 100th Anniversary of the WWI Armistice. This event, in Ypres, Belgium, honored the work of smiths during WWI. Jim met his pal Jeff Cawley in Ypres, and “a good time was had by all”.  Learning to Blacksmith fulfilled a lifelong dream. His first “shop” was under the swooping branches of an old fir, using odds & ends acquired over years.   When Jim hit the hot iron, he was in heaven.