Boy, 11, finds grandfather's body in pool

The 83-year-old went outside while the boy played video games in the Wesley Chapel home.

By HELEN ANNE TRAVIS, Times Staff Writer
Published August 11, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - An 83-year-old man drowned Friday at his home in the Bridgewater subdivision of Wesley Chapel. The man's body was discovered by his 11-year-old grandson.

Anthony Moschella was babysitting his grandson in the morning. He went out to the pool while the boy played video games inside.

The grandson noticed Moschella was not moving in the water and ran to a neighbor's home for help. The neighbor pulled Moschella's body from the pool.

Pasco deputies believe Moschella lived at the home but state records, including his driver's license, indicate he may have lived in Orlando. A woman who answered the phone at the Orlando residence said she was Moschella's widow but was too upset to talk about her husband.

Moschella's older sister, Theresa Sabella, said he served in the Navy during World War II and was a fan of music, especially Italian songs by Jimmy Roselli.

Moschella had a great sense of humor.

"He was always smiling," said Sabella on the phone from Massachusetts. "He was the life of the party wherever he went."

Friday afternoon, deputy's cruisers and an ambulance sat outside the brown home on Maysville Court in the Bridgewater subdivision.

Through the glass of the front door, one could see the vertical blinds on the window leading to the back of the home swing back and forth as deputies moved about inside.

Moshella was one of eight children, his sister said.

"Now there's only three of us left," said Sabella. Memories of Moschella overwhelmed her and she said she couldn't talk about him anymore.

Helen Anne Travis can be reached at 352-521-6518 or htravis@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 10, 2007, 20:44:39]