James Lee Moffett was born at Saint Luke’s Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri on March 27, 1941. On September 8, 2025 he died peacefully in the serenity of Saint Luke’s Hospice House knowing that he was loved.

Jim had a happy childhood on Mosby Ridge Farm, his family’s farm south of Kearney, Missouri, teasing his younger sister Lida, overseeing his model railroads or with his nose stuck in the finance section of the newspaper. Most weekends included playing Kick-the-Can, Sardines and board games with his cousins and sister. He was always the banker for Monopoly games. During his university years he spent summers working at E.F. Hutton or traveling abroad.  Jamie, as he was known in his family, inherited his gentle disposition from his mother, Frances Lee Moffett, his intellect from his father, Thomas Seymour Moffett, and the art of punning from his Uncle Roger.

Following graduation from The Thomas Jefferson School in St. Louis in 1959, Jim went on to earn a B.A. from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University. After Air Force Reserves boot camp in Alabama, Jim returned to Kansas City where he had an illustrious career in investment management. In 2014 he retired from UMB where he had created and managed the award-winning Scout International Fund.

On Valentine’s Day 1970, Jim married Virginia Readey. Together they had one child, their precious son Cyrus Marcus Moffett. Jim and Virginia shared a passion for collecting art and sharing it with the public both through in-kind donations and through traveling exhibitions they put together and exhibited at regional museums in Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. They enjoyed the time they spent in these communities especially Colorado Springs where they exhibited at and supported the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and where Jim relaxed and read in the Garden of the Gods while Virginia oversaw their exhibitions. Jim enjoyed getting together with family and friends whether over coffee or lunch, sharing his love for classical music at Sunday matinee performances of the Kansas City Symphony, or watching sports on TV with Cyrus - fist-bump Royals!. Jim’s easy-going companionship and wisdom were sought after by family, friends, and colleagues alike.

Jim is survived by his wife Virginia, his son Cyrus, his good friend George Bryde, his double-first-cousin Candace McDowell, and many Readey in-laws and Moffett and Lee cousins. He will be remembered fondly by all who knew him as a devoted husband and father and for his calm demeanor, as well as his well-articulated intelligence and kind wit.

A memorial service will be held at 4:30 PM Thursday, September 25, 2025 at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 West 13th Street, Kansas City, Missouri. There will be a reception at the Cathedral following the service. Private burial at a later date in Oak Grove Cemetery in Kansas City, Kansas.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, 3637 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO 64111 or the Albrecht Kemper Museum, 2818 Frederick Avenue, St. Joseph, MO 64506.