Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2023
Scott Marvin “Skeeter” Mosher was born on February 16, 1966, in Golden Valley, Minnesota. His parents were Don Marvin Mosher and Betty Jo Prunella O’Brien Mosher.
Scott went through elementary school in Shakopee, and attended junior high in both Jordan and Shakopee, according to the February 26, 1986 Shakopee Valley News.
Scott, called “Skeeter,” left Shakopee to get basic training in the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia. The place is now named Fort Moore.
Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama-Georgia border. Fort Moore supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees, and civilian employees daily. It was originally named for Henry L. Benning, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Fort Benning was one of the ten U.S. Army installations named for former Confederate generals that was renamed on May 11, 2023. Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore after Lieutenant General Hal Moore and his wife Julia Compton Moore, both of whom are buried on post.
After completing basic training, Scott went back to Shakopee to get his high school general equivalency diploma. He then moved to Cibolo, Texas, and lived with his sister, Pamela Mosher Mellius. He was a construction worker and was engaged to Ann Tucker. Tucker was 16 years old, and Scott was waiting to marry when Ann graduated from high school in 1987.
When he was 19 years old, Scott was riding on his motorcycle in Cibolo, Texas. Ann’s brother was riding on the back of the motorcycle. Because his future wife’s brother had been in a car accident a few years ago, and his brain was damaged, Scott let him wear his only helmet.
As they were driving along the highway, the motorcycle hit the side of a car. While Ann’s brother only suffered a broken arm in the accident, Scott suffered seven broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a ruptured spleen. According to his dad, “His lower jaw was split, his teeth were shoved into the roof of his mouth, his upper pallet was split, his nose was smashed in,” he said in an article, “Former Shakopee resident’s organs give life to other after accident injuries claim his life” by in the February 26, 1986 Shakopee Valley News.
At first, there was no sign of brain damage. However, five days after the accident, Scott went into convulsions. The next afternoon, on February 5, 1986, he was declared brain dead.
In an ironic twist, Scott’s sister, Pam, delivered twins, a boy and a girl, on the day that Scott died.
Scott’s parents, Don Mosher of Shakopee and Betty Jo O’Brien of North Highlands, California, gave doctors permission to remove his organs for transplant.
Scott’s liver went to a 36-year-old woman at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas. His kidneys were both transplanted at an Air Force hospital in San Antonio, Texas. A 21-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman each received one.
The South Texas Organ Bank coordinated the donations, The two women who received the kidneys were doing extremely well and expressed their sincere appreciation for the organs. Scott’s father said he wanted to talk about his son’s death “to impress on the local people how important it is to donate organs.”
Besides the kidneys and liver, other parts of Scott’s body were also donated. They included his corneas, bone marrow, pelvic bones, and various other bones. In addition, according to the article, parts of his heart were used later for heart valve transplants.
Scott Marvin “Skeeter” Mosher, who died on February 5, 1986 at age 19, was buried at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas according to Find a Grave.
Bibliography
Forkner Moe, Beth. “Former Shakopee resident’s organs give life to other after accident injuries claim his life.” Shakopee Valley News, 26 Feb. 1986.
Alberthal, Mark. “Scott ‘Skeeter’ Mosher (1966-1986).” Find a Grave, 19 Dec. 2015. www.findagrave.com/memorial/156187448/scott-mosher.