Tribute for Moh keeps his memory alive

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

alcorn@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Mohammad Musleh, 28, died in a vehicle accident Monday, but his coworkers, friends and customers from his days as bar manager at Lemon Grove and The Federal kept alive the memory of his ever-present smile and sense of humor.

There was a “Tribute for Moh” Thursday at The Federal.

“His death is a loss to his family, his friends and the community. I’m still in shock. It hardly seems real,” said Jacob Harver, a partner in The Federal with the Martini Brothers, who sponsored the tribute.

“It was done out of respect and love. What a great guy he was. Moh had a super sense of humor. You couldn’t stay in a bad mood when he was around. We lost an amazing person, and we wanted to celebrate his life and how much he was loved,” said Harver.

“Moh was our most dedicated employee and the one with the most tenure,” said Sophia Martini, The Federal manager.

“Honestly, he loved us and we loved him. He didn’t work for us, he worked with us. He was part of our family,” she said.

“One of my favorite Mohammad stories was the time a family came in with the young daughter who started dancing to the music. He put money in the juke box and danced with her,” she recalled.

“I saw him often. He was a very funny, good-hearted dude,” said Raheem Silva of Boardman.

“He would charge my phone for me and talk crap because I’m a Patriots fan and he was a Brownie. He was a genuine person and great friend,” said Silva, a graduate of Edinboro University in Pennsylvania where he studied finance.

“We were casual friends. I met him at The Federal where I used to sell cakes for Delightful Desserts by Anna. He liked the brownies with nuts. He couldn’t pronounce my name, so he nick-named me La La,” said LaTanya Foster-Johnson of Youngstown.

Mohammad took computer classes at Youngstown State University and the University of Buffalo, but “he loved the service industry,” said Martini said.

Mohammad also loved his girlfriend, Giovanna Silvestri, who could not talk Thursday about her loss, but wrote him a love letter: “Mohammad was the most caring, loving, generous person that anyone could have met. He showed me so much love through the years, and being able to be in his life is one of the best things to happen to me. I am so lucky to have so many good memories of him that I can hold onto forever.”

The car in which Mohammad was riding crashed at about 2:25 a.m. Monday on state Route 164 in Beaver Township. The Canfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said John Wardle, 30, of Poland, was driving south on Route 164 when he tried to pass another vehicle and lost control. Mohammad was thrown from the car.