Brunch with Friends: Good food and toasts to J. Roberto Moll

Part 1: The Wonder Years Jesus Roberto Francisco Moll Farina was born on August 22, 1944, at 3:15 a.m. in a hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His remarkable birth inspired Enriqueta and Francisco Moll to name him Jesus (he primarily went by Roberto). This tradition of having one name and using another would be passed down to his daughter. A brilliant accountant Mother and a passionate and artistic Father raised him. JR spent his youth attending private catholic schools in San Juan with his Mother and Titi Elsa, drilling him on all school subjects and his Father taking him to the cinema and plays. He was a bright child who earned almost all As, except for in “Conduct” because he loved to talk. Jesus spent part of his high school years in a boarding school in Rhode Island, where he must have had a super easy time fitting in. After high school, he went on to major in biology and minor in chemistry. J. Roberto applied for law school and medical school and decided that law was the place for him (law is known for its talkers). During his university time, he was in the ROTC. Soon after graduating from law school, he started his four-year commitment to the Air Force. Part 2: Roberto's Travels J.R. Moll JD JAG moved to California in 1970. At Vandenberg Air Force Base, he met Marilyn Rivenburgh. He became smitten and proposed after dating for one month. They soon married and found themselves moving to the Panama Canal. Daniel Roberto Francisco Moll Rivenburgh was born in Panama. He was reported to be a very handsome baby. After leaving Panama and the Air Force, Roberto, Marilyn, and Daniel moved to New York where he studied for a masters in international law at NYU. After finishing his degree J. Roberto Moll JD LLM moved west to take a job as a JAG at Lowry Airforce Base, Colorado. By 1978, the family of three settled into their Richfield Street residence, which would be his first and final home with a mortgage. In less than a year, his second son, Michael Franklin Moll, was born during a May blizzard. He was reported to be a very clever baby. A couple of years later, he had a daughter. He named his daughter Marilyn Elizabeth Moll because he thought his wife had worked so hard to deliver her that she deserved a prize (she went by Maribeth soon after). Now, his nuclear family was complete. He continued a long career as a JAG and in the Air Force Reserve. With time, his role as a father changed, and he took over making dinner most weeknights after Marilyn started her successful paralegal career. During this time, he was known for his love of all music, love of electronics, love of baseball, love of all movie genres (except horror), and love of all things Puerto Rican. His personal mantra was "don't worry about it". Part 3: Tilting at Windmills In 2004, JR had his first and last heart attack, which led to an insightful diagnosis by a neurologist who suspected J. Roberto had Huntington’s disease (HD). He retired as a JAG and from the Air Force (as a lieutenant colonel) by 2008. In 2008, Daniel and Maribeth married Sarah and Shannon, respectively (in different months). Aspects of Huntington’s disease had become more apparent after 2008. In 2012, Roberto flew to Vancouver to meet his first grandchild, Thalia Sofia Moll Baird, only hours after her birth. He went on to enjoy the retirement of a homebody. In 2019, his first grandson, Asher Emerson Baird Moll, was born, and the term quarter Rican was defined. He was proud to have a lawyer (Daniel), doctor (Michael), and geologist (Maribeth) for children (the makings of a joke). During COVID, Jesus had an increasing amount of health issues. Marilyn took it upon herself to be Roberto's knight of the round table. Through her efforts, she was able to keep him walking, talking, and eating until 3 weeks before his death. He died on Sept. 10th, 2023, at 3:10 a.m., with Marilyn holding his hand. He is loved and will be missed by his family, friends, and colleagues.

Roberto advocated for education and knowledge and valued his intelligence as one of his greatest attributes. He continues his advocacy for knowledge by donating his brain to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) UCLA branch for Huntington’s research.

A lawyer, a doctor, and a geologist walk into a bar. They each order a scotch and the bartender asks, “How do they take their drinks?”. The lawyer says, “On the bar,” the doctor says “29.5 ccs stat,” and the geologist says, “On the rocks.”