Benjamin McCutchen Moïse

Benjamin McCutchen Moïse, 83, of Charleston, SC went to meet that Great Judge in the sky on November 10, and as Ben would say, “that judge don’t take no cash.” The tables of the kingdom of heaven will overflow, and the conversation will outshine the stars.

Born to Horace Benjamin Rainville, Jr. and Ethel Claire McCutchen of Bishopville, SC, he was later adopted and raised right when Ethel Claire was remarried to Robert Blanding Moïse of Sumter, SC. As Ben liked to say, he may not have been born in Charleston, but he got there as quick as he could. In 1963, he attended a Citadel dance, and he wrote that night to his mama that he’d met the girl he was going to marry, Anne Miller. He fled the Citadel for the University of South Carolina to take Anne 101, and that “fluffy-haired Ashley Hall girl” consented to marry him in 1966, despite sense, finance, and her parents’ better judgment. The two made out in the kitchen for 60 beautiful years, bringing into this world their daughters, Melissa (married to Boyd McLeod) and Sarah (married to Simons Young). His collection of duck calls hung by the back door to delight his grandchildren, Margaret Anne McLeod, Sarah Elizabeth McLeod, Benjamin Rutledge Young, and William Porter Young.

Despite dropping statistics six times, he graduated college in 1981 and earned his Master’s in Psychology from Webster University the very next year. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1966-1970 and excoriated criminals for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources from 1978-2002. In 1990, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation presented him with the Guy Bradley Award for his achievements in wildlife law enforcement. In 1994, he received the Order of the Palmetto from Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. for his commitment to conservation to the state.

His favorite mornings were spent shivering in a boat before dawn in the Santee Delta, hunting duck hunters with the company of one of his many Boykin Spaniels. Ben was a passionate admirer of classical music and a great supporter of Spoleto Festival’s Chamber Music series. Following his retirement in 2002, Moïse documented his field experiences in his 2008 memoir, Ramblings of a Lowcountry Game Warden. Beyond law enforcement and writing, Ben was well known across the region for large oyster roasts and cooking traditional Frogmore Stews for private gatherings, political functions, and events surrounding the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.

With his tremendous laugh and absolute mastery of storytelling, Ben shared many a campfire and cigar with great friends, from the transvaal of South Africa to the shores of Moïse Island. He was our Superman, a gentleman, and a true Renaissance man. He was the best son, big brother, father, uncle, grandfather, and if you were lucky, friend, and he treasured each of these roles beyond measure. He is survived by his wife and children, as well as his siblings, Michael Edmund Moïse (Teresa), Elizabeth Scott Moïse (Bailey Crump), Edwin Warren Moïse, and Claire McCutchen Moïse (Bill Thorpe), as well as his beloved nephew, David Blanding Crump (Alaine).

Funeral services will be at Grace Church Cathedral on Saturday, November 14 at 3:00 pm, with a glorious hootenanny at the Carolina Yacht Club immediately following. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Ducks Unlimited and the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey.

Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.