Richard “Rick” Anthony Moscatello, 52, was called home by God on February 15, 2020 at his home surrounded by those he loved, after a courageous battle with cancer. Rick was born in Tampa, Florida on June 8, 1967. He received his B.A. in Mathematics and Masters in Statistics/Probability from the University of South Florida in 1990. Rick taught at Tulane University in New Orleans while continuing his Graduate level coursework. Rick lived to teach, write, and game. Rick was a math instructor for more than 20 years, and loved teaching the “hard” math at LSU for the past 6 years. Rick is survived by his loving wife Anne “Lucia” Cockfield-Moscatello, his three children by marriage: Sarah H. Butcher (Cody), Paul C. Moran (Megan), Hannah E. Moran, four grandchildren, his mother Frankie Morris Moscatello, and his sister Deborah Lynn Moscatello. Rick was preceded in death by his father Richard John Moscatello. Rick will be sorely missed, never forgotten and loved forever. Visitation and Mass will be held Saturday, February 22, at Christ the King Church & Catholic Center on the LSU Campus, 11 W Fraternity Ln, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. Visitation begins 11:00 am followed by Mass at 1:00 pm. All floral arrangements may be sent directly to Christ the King Church & Catholic Center on the LSU Campus. Arrangements by Church Funeral Services of Baton Rouge (225) 293-4174
I remember one day in Differential Equations class when Rick quickly drew up a bracket symbol on the board in order to group together the solutions of a particular equation. He turned around, gave his classic, wry smile to the entire class, and said “That bracket looks like the profile of Alfred Hitchcock, doesn’t it?” I burst out laughing. It was the funniest damn thing I had experienced all day. What an amazing person. I will always remember his dark, witty humor. He was an absolute blast of an instructor.
I was truly hurt to learn of his passing. He was a great professor and a wonderful person. His lectures were full of laughs and smiles, and it was easy to see how much he cared for his students and their success. He will truly be missed.
My sincerest condolences go to his surviving family, God may have called him home but his impact will last on this Earth forever.
In gratitude,
One of the many students he impacted in his lifetime