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In memory of
Joseph Phillip Moore III
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Joseph's obituary
Joseph P. Moore III, known to most of his friends as Joe, has left this earth. Dad was born to Joseph and Thelma Moore in Waco, Texas. He is predeceased by his parents, his sister Neva, his infant daughter Pamela, and his wife of 50 years, Joann. He wasn’t just my dad, he was my hero. Not just for the things accomplished in his life, but for the rare person that he was.
Dad graduated with a journalism degree from Baylor University and then served his country as an officer and navigator with the U.S. Air Force. After active duty, he continued with the Air Force Reserves and retired at the rank of Lt. Colonel after more than 25 years of service. He was proud of his military record and loved to tell stories of the planes he flew. He served in Korea, but always downplayed his role, having not been directly in the line of combat fire. That was the modest man he was, not highlighting his contributions, even though he played a critical role with supply drops and other needed jobs. In the Reserves he put in way more than the required one weekend a month and also served as a squadron commander. Although I didn’t see him in action, I’m sure he was the kind of leader that people admired and respected so much that they would have followed him anywhere.
For well over 30 years, Dad worked at General Dynamics, Convair Division. He was Supervisor of Proposals and Publications and put his journalism skills to good use. He spent many a long night getting a proposal to bed and we would laugh about the similarities when I would come home at 3 a.m. after doing the same for my college newspaper. He was respected and well-liked at work, but I know firsthand that he could lay down the law when he needed to. I’m sure I came to my love of writing through my dad. When I would work on articles or publications, he was always a great editor for me and I learned so much from him. Dad kept his hand in journalism until just a few months before he passed, as the editor of the General Dynamics Convair Alumni Association Bulletin, which he ran for decades.
How Dad managed to juggle work, family, Reserves, and obtaining his Master’s degree from National University is beyond me. He was always there for me and there was never a time I felt distant or unloved, no matter how much he had to do. In an era where some of the dads were not around much, mine was an engaged and active part of my life. We went on outings, rode bikes at Lake Murray, went to the San Diego Zoo, and, one of my favorite activities, went on walks together. Dad knew a lot about many things. One of my most vivid memories is of him teaching me the solar system on the sidewalk using different colored rocks.
Dad was also funny and quirky, singing silly songs with me and watching Roadrunner cartoons together on countless Saturday mornings. We shared a love of Doris Day movies and musicals and enjoyed watching them together. I miss hearing him sing, “I feel a song coming on…” right before the lead actor broke into a musical number. He and Mom were avid readers and we always had a menagerie of pets as part of our family. We had family game nights often and my dad taught me to play to win, but not to take it too seriously. The family game nights continued until just a few years before he passed and it is another wonderful memory and continued passion that I credit to my exceptional parents.
Although an introvert in many ways, around family, or once you got my dad out and about, he was so funny and full of jokes and stories. He could also be super opinionated and liked to play devil’s advocate in a debate. He was passionate and well-spoken, and I enjoyed bantering with him about most things. Several of his letters to the editor appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune over the years. Many people saw my dad as mellow all the time, but he was also a very passionate and sensitive person. Deep down he was really a dreamer and a romantic.
Several people have told me that my dad was the nicest man they’d ever met. I realize I am “burying the lead,” but to me my dad’s greatest achievement is that he was a genuinely good man and he was the most steadfast person I have ever known. My dad was the person I always went to for advice or even some tough love. He told me what I needed to hear, even if I didn’t always like it. When it came down to it though, he was always on my side and I knew he would do anything for me and those he loved. If he could have literally moved mountains he would have, but he moved plenty of figurative ones over his 85 years.
Mom and dad married about six months after meeting. They lived in the house they purchased in La Mesa for most of that time and created a home filled with books, animals, games, knowledge, love, laughter, and occasional chaos and sadness. Mom had the soul of an artist and Dad always encouraged her passions and enjoyed her energy and light. People who know our family well know that my mom’s illness was extremely challenging. He was her rock. No matter how bad things got, he was always there. She told me countless times how much his strength got her through the hard times. They truly and deeply loved each other and made it through some incredibly difficult situations together. It was not always an easy life together, but Dad described it as “a bed of roses with occasional thorns.” He saw the roses way more than the thorns, because that was the optimistic man that he was. They were married for over 50 years before her passing in October of 2016. We were all amazed at his strength in carrying on without her, but they were soulmates and he always missed her.
Dad told me a few times over the years that you need to still see some wonder in life. Although there were still moments of joy and wonder, I’m comforted knowing that he passed before they diminished.
I could continue to write about the wonderful man my dad was, the things he enjoyed, and the lives he touched, and it would fill a book and need several more. But it will never be enough to provide tribute to the man who showed me what real strength is. I see the term hero used a lot these days. Sometimes it is deserved, and sometimes it is just something we say. To me a hero is the person who is not just strong, but also kind. My dad was both to the greatest degree possible, and so much more. He was my hero and always will be. Being Joe Moore’s daughter is one of the greatest honors and joys of my life.
Joe is survived by his daughters Melanie Byerley (husband Jerry) and Heather Moore Sheppard (husband Dave) and his stepson Walter (Randy) Hartson (wife Lisa). He is also survived by his grandchildren Lisa, Kristi, and Danielle Hartson, Brianna Byerley, and Nathan Moore, and his great-grandchildren and extended family and friends.
Military services with honors were held on January 11, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. at Miramar National Cemetery. If you go to the San Diego Zoo when the new Children’s Zoo opens, you will see a tribute to Joseph and Joann Moore.
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