The legacy of Christina Mosley Furr '08 will continue inspiring future generations of Samford University students through a planned estate gift from her parents, Ronnie and Carol Mosley.
They will establish the Christina Mosley Furr Endowed Scholarship Fund in memory of their late daughter, a history and English graduate, who displayed a lifelong commitment to faith, compassion and serving others. Once funded through the Mosleys' estate gift, the scholarship will support students pursuing study abroad and domestic opportunities, with priority given to experiences centered on Gospel-oriented missions and the exploration of God's calling.
The Mosleys’ documented estate gift also recognizes them as members of Samford’s 1841 Society, which honors individuals and families who have included the university in their estate plans.
For the Mosleys, the scholarship represents more than a financial investment in students. It is a continuation of the life Christina lived.
"Christina was our firstborn daughter, and from the beginning she possessed a remarkably kind, gentle and compassionate spirit," they said. "She had a way of seeing people—not simply noticing them, but recognizing their worth and caring deeply about what they were carrying."
During her time on campus, Christina’s faith translated into tangible acts of service. As a first-year student, she attended a Compassion International event and chose to sponsor an 8-year-old boy named Satish from Chennai, India. For the next nine years, she faithfully supported him and exchanged letters.
"It may have appeared to be a simple decision made by a college student, but it revealed something central about Christina: when she became aware of another person's need, she wanted to respond," her parents said.
Christina died from a brain tumor on Aug. 18, 2013, at the age of 27. In the years since, Ronnie and Carol have sought to ensure that compassion—not grief—defines her lasting legacy.
That desire ultimately led to the creation of Capturing Grace, a ministry dedicated to sharing the stories of vulnerable children, families and those serving marginalized communities around the world.
"What began as a place to process our love and grief became a ministry devoted to telling stories of vulnerable children, families and those serving them around the world," they said. "Her life helped teach us that people need to be seen, that their stories matter, and that love does not end simply because someone's physical presence is gone."
The decision to provide a planned estate gift that will establish an endowed scholarship at Samford grew naturally from Christina's own experience as a student.
"When Christina first visited Samford, there was an immediate sense that she had found her place," Ronnie and Carol said. "Her years there helped deepen her love of learning, expanded her view of the world and provided opportunities for her faith and compassion to take tangible form."
The Mosleys hope the scholarship will encourage students to see education not simply as preparation for a career, but as preparation for a life of purpose.
"Our hope is that the recipients will be students who are serious about their faith, attentive to the needs of others and willing to use their education in service to something larger than themselves," they said. "The particular vocation is less important than the posture of the heart: a willingness to notice others, to respond with compassion and to allow the Gospel to shape the way they live."
Ronnie and Carol believe establishing the endowed scholarship through their planned estate gift will allow Christina's legacy to extend well beyond their own lifetimes.
"There is something profoundly hopeful in knowing that an act of generosity made today can help form lives for generations," they said. "Our prayer is that the good accomplished through these students will multiply in ways we may never see and reach people whose names we may never know."
In addition to the planned endowed scholarship, Christina's legacy has remained present at Samford through the Christina Mosley Award, presented annually by the Department of History to a graduating senior who best exemplifies her contagious spirit. Ronnie returns to campus each year to personally present the award.
Once established, the endowed scholarship will expand that legacy, ensuring future students will continue to be encouraged by Christina's example of faithful service.
"To know that Christina's legacy will continue at Samford is both emotional and deeply comforting," Ronnie and Carol said. "This scholarship allows the light of that life to continue traveling forward. It transforms remembrance into opportunity, grief into generosity and love into something that will continue to serve others."
They hope scholarship recipients will not feel called to imitate Christina's life but instead be inspired to faithfully pursue the unique calling God has placed before them.
"We hope each recipient will understand that the scholarship comes with no expectation that they become another Christina," they said. "Rather, we hope her story will encourage them to become more fully the person God has created them to be."
For the Mosley family, that is the greatest tribute they can imagine.
"Her physical life was far too short, but her influence does not have to be," they said. "Through this scholarship, her compassion and faith can continue to shape lives, one student at a time, for generations to come."
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