Moses Pierce Jr., popular retired Center City community service representative, has died at 77
He promoted the city — his city, he said often — by offering directions and dining tips to wandering tourists, and practical advice to anyone else who needed it.
Moses Pierce Jr., 77, of Philadelphia, popular and longtime Center City District community service representative, Vietnam veteran, and South Jersey farmer, died Saturday, April 12, of cancer at his family’s home in Yeadon, Delaware County.
Born in Philadelphia and reared in West Philadelphia and Berlin, Camden County, Mr. Pierce spent 30 years patrolling Center City sidewalks and was the last active member of the inaugural 1991 class of community service representatives. He promoted the city — his city, he said often — by offering directions and dining tips to wandering tourists, and practical advice to anyone else who needed it.
He called himself a “human GPS” and “traveling concierge,” and residents said he was their mobile eyes and ears and sometimes a first responder. He was featured several times in The Inquirer and Daily News, and The Inquirer said in a 2016 story that he was “a walking Philadelphia historian who can toss off a dozen sunny sayings in a 15-minute conversation.”
He told The Inquirer: “When I greet people, I try to make the person feel like they’re coming into my living room. A smile and a hello is a key to unlock apprehension.”
His usual welcome-to-Center-City patrol took him south on Broad Street from Market to Walnut, west on Walnut to 18th, north on 18th to Market, and east on Market back to Broad. He walked in Dilworth, Sister Cities, and Cret Parks; Reading Terminal; and Filbert Street, too.
He was energetic, extroverted, and kind, said his daughter, Shayla. Over the years, he saw former Mayor Frank Rizzo whisked away in an ambulance, actors Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington making movies, Republicans and Democrats at national conventions, and the pope greeting people on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
“You give a smile, you’ll get a smile. You give respect, you’ll get respect.”
In 2016, a grateful sandwich shop owner was so impressed by Mr. Pierce’s hospitality that he named a sandwich the Philly Moses back home in Germany. Reluctantly, Mr. Pierce retired in 2021.
“Few could match Moses in enthusiasm, longevity, and simple love of interacting with people on the street,” said Paul R. Levy, board chair of the Center City District. “If there were a dictionary or website of Philadelphia enthusiasts, Moses’ picture would surely come up first.”
When he retired, former colleagues called him “a true gentleman and fabulous ambassador” and “part of the fabric of Philadelphia.” Former colleague KellyAnn Farrelly said recently: “Pierce’s kindness and charm gave Center City some of its shine.”
He was 44 and working sales and customer service jobs when he noticed an ad for community service representatives to meet and greet in the Center City District. “It seemed exciting, and it was all about promoting Philadelphia,“ he said in 2016.
“To walk a beat in Center City and greet people with a warm smile. To say hello to everyone and anyone in my deployment area.”
He spent 18 months in Vietnam with the Army after graduating from West Philadelphia High School. For years, he grew gladiolas, broccoli, cabbage, okra, watermelon, and black-eyed peas on his father’s small farm in Berlin. He and friends compared tomato crops every summer, and he told the Daily News in 1991: “I’m a fanatic about gladiolas.”
His community service was featured in a 2021 story for 6ABC’s Art of Aging series, and he said in 2016: “I’ve been happy at what I’m doing because I relish meeting people. I’m hoping if they’re having a bad day, I give them a smile and they feel a little better, and their day, hopefully, goes a little smoother because they met Moses.”
Brian Korn, senior director at the Center City District, said: “Moses had a remarkable ability to see the good in everything and everyone.“
Moses Pierce Jr. was born Nov. 26, 1947. His mother died when he was 8, and he usually spent weekdays in the city and weekends on the farm tending the chickens, hogs, and vegetables with his father. “I lived in the city, but I was country all the way,” he said in 2016. ”I’m still country.”
» READ MORE: Meet Moses Pierce, Philly's 'traveling concierge'
He went to Peirce College and earned a bachelor’s degree in business at Pennsylvania State University. He married and had a son, Richard. After a divorce, he married Denise Jackson in 1981, and they had a daughter, Shayla. They divorced later.
Mr. Pierce enjoyed all kinds of music, sometimes the louder the better. He followed the local pro sports teams closely and took his daughter to memorable concerts and games. “He helped people connect,” his daughter said.
“Like my father used to say, it’s the small things in life that mean so much,” Mr. Pierce said in 2016. “Everybody’s reaching for the stars, the sun. No man’s arm is long enough to touch the stars. So find out where your niche is in life and be happy.”
In addition to his children, Mr. Pierce is survived by other relatives.
A memorial service is to be held at noon Wednesday, April 23, at Sister Cities Park, 210 N. 18th St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103.
Donations in his name may be made to the American Cancer Society, Box 6704, Hagerstown, Md. 21741.