Photos: The cherished cobbler of Canton

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Photos: The cherished cobbler of Canton

Billy Eugene Moss, who operated his tiny shoe repair shop in Canton for more than six decades, was a pillar of his community before he died of COVID-19 complications.

Billy Eugene Moss was a beloved cobbler who operated the Canton Shoe Repair for 66 years. Moss, 87, died from a combination of COVID-19, kidney failure and other causes last month. A framed photograph is displayed at the store's cashier desk next to one of his boots. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Moss's store had customers from across the country and even overseas, but Moss did not train an apprentice. Now his widow and granddaughter are weighing what to do with the shop and everything inside it. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Brittany Morgan, left, assists Brian Venable, Deputy Sheriff at Cherokee County Sheriff Office, with her 8-year-old daughter Peyton, second from left, and grandmother Ruth Moss at Canton Shoe Repair. Venable, who is wearing shoes Billy Eugene Moss repaired, is a long-time customer of the store. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Moss, seen here hunting as a child with his father Jim, was born in Talking Rock during the Great Depression in 1933. His father was a dairy cattle farmer and his mother a homemaker. (Family photo)

Billy Eugene Moss was known as a perfectionist in his work. He learned shoe repair from his brother-in-law and eventually took over the business. He moved the shop three times in Canton until finally settling in the first floor of a former bank building a block from the courthouse square. (J King Images)

The sign outside the Canton Shoe Repair announces that the shop is not presently taking new customers but is staying open for pick-ups only. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Ruth Moss, widow of Billy Eugene Moss, gets emotional while taking about Billy Eugene Moss at Canton Shoe Repair. The couple "were sweet on each other" since elementary school, she said. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Ruth Moss looks at piles of shoes at Canton Shoe Repair. She's not prepared to keep the shop running but is working to return items to customers. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Billy Moss was well known for his versatility. His shop is full of evidence of this: ladies' handbags, an equestrian’s black leather half chap, a pair of giant green and blue pool toys shaped like tropical fish, a vintage gun belt studded with bullets and a weathered “Tex-Siz-Trap” catcher’s mitt. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Brittany Morgan shows tools and supplies that her grandfather Billy Eugene Moss used at Canton Shoe Repair. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Next to the shop's antique cash register, Brittany Morgan shows aprons her grandfather Billy Eugene Moss used at Canton Shoe Repair. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Long-time customer Brian Venable, Deputy Sheriff at the Cherokee County Sheriff Office, wears shoes Billy Eugene Moss repaired. Venable, also an avid leatherworker, said of Moss's handiwork, “I was always fascinated with the craftsmanship. Having my hands deep into it, I know what it takes to be able to do it. Not everybody can do it.” (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Dozens of mourners showed up for the funeral of Billy Eugene Moss at Antioch Baptist Church in Talking Rock, and many wrote in a guestbook about their fond recollections of his shop. One wrote, “Sometimes he would charge me $1. The last time I was in the shop, he didn’t charge me for the work. When I was leaving, he said to me, ‘Come back.’ ” (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

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Billy Eugene Moss was a beloved cobbler who operated the Canton Shoe Repair for 66 years. Moss, 87, died from a combination of COVID-19, kidney failure and other causes last month. A framed photograph is displayed at the store's cashier desk next to one of his boots. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

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