Harold Moffitt

Dr. Harold “Hal” Moffitt, 89, of Yakima, WA has passed away at home on December 21, 2023, with his loving wife, Linda (Holub Mitchel), and other family members by his side. Hal was born in 1934 in Mendocino, CA to Harold “Pete” Moffitt and Olga Miller, brothers Dennis (Carolyn) and Errol Moffitt (Loriana) of Georgia. The family resided in Tulare county where he attended schools in Farmersville and Visalia, CA; Hal was an avid baseball player, pitching in the minor league in Canada for a time during college - his mom wasn’t aware he had left and wasn’t very happy after learning about it and in a snit she sold his beloved 1940 Ford Coupe! Soon after, he married his College of the Sequoia’s sweetheart Celesta Beutler in Three Rivers, CA November 27, 1954. The Moffitt’s, with their sons Michael (Nancy) of Eatonville, WA, Patrick of Yakima, WA and daughter Karen Smelser (Tom) of Redmond, OR, resided in Riverside, CA until moving to Wenatchee, WA in 1967 to work as a research scientist in entomology at the Wenatchee Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center after graduating with a PhD from UC Davis. In 1969 the family moved to Yakima as Hal started work at the USDA’s Yakima Research Center as an entomologist. Hal traveled extensively throughout the US, Europe, Japan, Thailand and Chile as well as a 9 month stay with Celesta in New Zealand in 1980 to “watch codling moths have sex”, he made life-long friends with many he met along the way. Decades of research and world-wide travel culminated in many achievements, including his pivotal role in the successful exports of Washington State cherries and apples to Japan, Research Leader, as well as helping design the new lab building located in Zillah. Hal is also the namesake for a bee-fly of California, Poecilanthrax Moffitti. Family and friends have enjoyed his entertaining stories and many of his story telling sessions have been recorded. Celesta passed in 2005 of ALS; Hal and family cared for her at their home. Hal met his wife Linda while spending summers in Netarts, OR and married years later on an unusually warm and beautiful April day in Oceanside, OR, together they have a large, blended family; Hal and Linda celebrated their 15th anniversary this year. Hal and Linda continued traveling, taking their RV to multiple states and sailing thru the Panama Canal even while Hal fought Multiple Myeloma, a common cancer many scientists working in the chemical field have been afflicted with. Hal’s stepson Brian Keeler, his wife Candace and Linda’s great granddaughter Cassie Mitchell-Pennycook have been invaluable in providing companionship and assistance in the family home, especially as Hal’s health has deteriorated. The family thanks the hospice team for their exceptional care over the last year. Hal is survived by those already mentioned, eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren, stepchildren and their families. He’s preceded in death by his parents, his older brother Dennis and his wife Carolyn, additional family Shellie Fletchall, Matthew Stanley and crabbing friends Charlie and Rich. Hal will be remembered as a very accomplished entomologist, a brilliant man with a humorous, kind and generous nature; he will be greatly missed by the many people that he has touched over his lifetime. Hal’s Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Netarts, OR. Any desired memorial donations can be sent to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation at https://themmrf.org/ and/or ALS Association at https://www.als.org/. The family of Dr. Moffitt has entrusted the caring staff of Valley Hills Funeral Home and Crematory of Yakima, Washington with service arrangements. Memories and condolences may be conveyed to the family at www.valleyhillsfh.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Harold Moffitt, please visit our flower store.