Father Andrew Moulton fell asleep in the Risen Lord on January 9, 2026, in his home in Granite City, Illinois, surrounded by his wife and children after an 18-month struggle with cancer.
Fr. Andrew was born on March 12, 1950, Ralph Allan Moulton, in Rural Englewood, California, the youngest child of Colonel Ralph and Mary Moulton. Fr. Andrew’s childhood as an “Air Force brat,” with his two sisters Georgia and Colleen, was spent never living in one place for more than four years. He had fond memories of life in Cleveland, Ohio, St. Petersburg, Florida, and even Spain. The family attended church every Sunday at the Protestant base chapels. In Spain, where the US Air Force bases were in early development, Fr. Andrew was the only non-Catholic student at his elementary school, and the priest there gave him lots of attention as the sole opportunity for spreading the Catholic faith. Father would later say that he had never thought of being a pastor but was interested in being a priest, long before he knew of the Orthodox Church.
After graduating from Northeast High School in Saint Petersburg, Florida, Father took an Air Force ROTC scholarship at Michigan State University in East Lansing and studied Mechanical Engineering. There he met Joan Yarbrough, the love of his life. They married in 1971. Once when traveling home for winter break, Joan received a ride from a kind stranger, Fr. Photius Donahue, who introduced himself as a Professor of Religion, when her flight was re-routed through Detroit. Father Andrew and Joan started taking classes on Eastern Christianity from Fr. Photius at Michigan State, and he and Popadia Joan eventually converted to Orthodoxy and were Chrismated by Father (Captain USAF) John Bohush at Chanute Air Training Center, Illinois. Father liked to say that he converted from a WASP to a WASO!
Following graduation from MSU, the young couple spent three and a half years completing Fr. Andrew’s tour with the Air Force, mostly at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, where their first child Christian was born, while Father worked as an aircraft maintenance officer on C-130 transport planes. After completing his service, they returned to Michigan where he earned an M.S. in Computer Science. Attending St. Andrew Orthodox Church, where Father Photius was the priest, he was tonsured reader and subdeacon, and ordained a deacon, and then ordained a priest by Bishop CLEMENT of Sourozh at St. Nicholas Cathedral in New York City on January 24, 1979. Over the years Fr. Andrew was blessed with several dedicated and loving mentors who helped guide him in his pastoral work, including Fr. Photius Donahue, Fr. Raphael Biernacki, Fr. Roman Braga, and Fr. Don Freude. In 1983, Fr. Andrew was assistant to Fr. Photius, when he departed this life. Fr. Andrew was there to close his mentor’s eyes. Fr. Andrew liked to say that, like Fr. Photius, we should all try to be kind and offer rides to college students, because you never know when that will lead you to the person who cares for you at your death bed.
Fr. Andrew and his family transferred to the Bulgarian Diocese of the OCA in 1988, through the great kindness and support of Archbishop KYRILL (Yonchev). By this time their son Christian had other siblings, James, Mark, and Elizabeth. In 1987, Father received his first and only independent pastoral assignment at Sts. Cyril and Methody Orthodox Church in Granite City, Illinois, a beloved role from which he finally retired due to illness on December 31, 2024. During his pastorate, Father was assisted by Fr. Kiril Antonoff in retirement and Subdeacon George Bakan. While acting as pastor at Sts. Cyril and Methody, he also worked a full-time job as a Computer System’s Engineer, working initially with his own start-up software company and then later for Cerner Corporation. In 2017 he retired from his secular career after 17 years at the Radiology Department at Washington University School of Medicine. His work in the parish continued beyond his secular retirement, not only at his own parish but also helping to establish St. Nicholas Orthodox Mission in Lawrence, Kansas, during the early 2000s. He supported the work of F.O.C.U.S. in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a spiritual support and guide for many Orthodox Christians in St. Louis and beyond.
Over 38 years, Father Andrew raised his family in Granite City, Illinois, while also faithfully pastoring at Sts. Cyril and Methody, where he brought many converts to the Orthodox faith. He was blessed to see decades of life for many parishioners and to marry his children and baptize his grandchildren at his parish. He was known for his charming children’s sermons, often featuring a quirky or surprising prop brought from home each Sunday. He loved to take orders at the monthly fish fry in the parish hall as people came in. He would quote his favorite movie lines in sermons or coffee hour and was a voracious reader, remembering his younger days when so few good Orthodox books were available in English. Father Andrew was a particular fan of reading the ancient church fathers. He enjoyed watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball and Friday Night Fights on TV as well as helping his wife with home projects. Around the home he might be heard singing silly songs and reminding grandchildren that each one was the “World’s Greatest” in a paradox of Orthodox theology, in which every person can be the “most loved” and “greatest.”
Fr. Andrew loved to serve the Divine Liturgy and often talked about the beauty and mystery of the liturgy. He was dedicated wholly to making sure that a Divine Liturgy was served for his people every Sunday. His love for serving the liturgy was evident in the final years of his life when he struggled to serve far beyond the physical strength of his body.
He leaves his beloved wife Popadia Joan, children Christian and wife Erin of Lawrence, KS: James and wife Catherine of Plano, IL; Mark and wife Dee of Bastrop, TX; Elizabeth Sparks and husband Nathan of Lake Stevens, WA; grandchildren Alexis, Simeon, Emily, Nicholas, Luke, and Basil; sisters Georgia Moulton and Colleen Kirkland and husband Dennis; as well as beloved nephews, nieces, parishioners, and friends. Please pray for Fr. Andrew that he will be granted eternal rest and blessed repose. He always said he would be happy to just stand in a corner of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Visitation will take place at Sts. Cyril & Methody Orthodox Church in Granite City, Illinois, at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, followed by the funeral service for a priest at 6:00 pm. On the following day, January 14, the Divine Liturgy will begin at 9am, followed by Trisagion Prayer and interment at Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Cemetery in Glen Carbon, Illinois. A meal will follow in the church hall. Archbishop ALEXANDER (Golitzin) will be the celebrant.
Donations in Father Andrew’s memory may be made to Sts. Cyril & Methody Orthodox Church, Granite City, IL and F.O.C.U.S. Gateway City.
