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John Ira Moore, Jr. died July 1, 2011 while swimming at Atlantic Beach. He and his wife Lib were enjoying their time at their beach condo, a place where he experienced God's presence and peace through the beauty of the ocean, dolphins, and the pleasure of feeling the sand between his toes. John will be sorely missed by his family and by all who knew and loved him.
John is survived by his beloved wife Lib, as well as their son, John Ashley Moore of Raleigh, their daughter Kori Moore Bruton and husband Charlie of Fremont, and their precious grandson Nick. He deeply loved his children and grandson, and was so proud of them in every way.
John was born in Rocky Mount, NC on Dec. 2, 1942, to Mable and John Ira Moore, Sr. At age seven, the family moved to Raleigh. John attended schools in Raleigh and graduated from Broughton High School in 1961. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1966 with a degree in psychology, and received his Masters Degree from the UNC School of Social Work in 1967.
John spent 18 summers at Camp Sea Gull where his mom, Mable, was Director of Infirmaries. At age 13, Wyatt Taylor hired John as head of Camp Headquarters, a huge responsibility for someone so young. This experience helped shape his values as a person of great integrity, compassion, and love for others.
It was during his last year of graduate school that he saw Lib across the room and knew she was the love of his life. After 6 months of courtship, they were married on July 9, 1967. They would have celebrated their 44th anniversary this Saturday.
John's career included social work in many areas, interrupted briefly by his service in the Army Reserves. He was instrumental in helping develop the North Carolina Medicaid Program. The last 22 years he worked with the NC Division of Facilities Services, responsible for reviewing the quality of nursing home care. John was passionate about his work, finding it uplifting and rewarding. He loved each of the residents, and was greatly appreciated and respected by the nursing home directors and his professional colleagues.
John embraced his retirement years. He and Lib enjoyed travel, including trips to China, Italy, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Spain. They built a new home in the Glenlake community, where their many new friends have become family. John was loved for his hospitality and humor – he could take a simple event and have you rolling with laughter.
John was an active member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church for 61 years, serving in many capacities, including President of his beloved Danielson Sunday School class. John attributed his spiritual growth in large part to his close relationship with David Hailey, and to Dr. Hailey's inspiring sermons.
John's love of exquisite flowers, beautiful music, creating gourmet meals, and entertaining and enjoying his many friends are legend. There will never be another like him. As we grieve his passing, we are comforted to know that he is now with the Lord.
Funeral services will be conducted Thursday, July 7, 2011, at 2:00 PM with visitation prior to services at 12:30 PM at Hayes Barton Baptist Church, followed by burial at Oakwood Cemetery.
Flowers will be accepted or, memorial contributions may be made to Hayes Barton Baptist Church TV Ministry, 1800 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27608 or Camp Sea Gull, Arapahoe, NC.
Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, St Mary's St., Raleigh.
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William Stroupe
My most vivid memory of John Moore was a blip on the radar of his dedicated service to the State of North Carolina in the Department of Health and Human Services.
John and I were nodding acquaintances at Broughton and members of the same lab class in Introductory Psychology at Carolina. Vocationally, we went our separate ways.
But in 1975 we found ourselves working for the same company.
In the spring of that year, the State of North Carolina hired a private firm, Health Applications Systems based in Burlngame, California, to process monthly Medicaid claims for a set fee. This change required an extensive interface between HAS and health professionals to smooth out the transition to the new process. John became the director of a cadre of state employees selected by HAS to represent the company to the doctors, hospital administrators, and other health care providers who participated in the Medicaid program. I edited the manuals instructing providers how to fill out the claims forms. (Actually, I was the assistant editor, but the editor was out most of the duration on maternity leave.) My wife, Rosemary, a registerned nurse who is now retired, worked with other nurses and computer professionals to assure that health professionals received correct codes for fililng clailms.
Rosemary and I later joked about our idyllic days at HAS, where we only worked half-days--twelve hours. We'd arrive before 7:30 in the morning and leave after 7:30 at night, plus a few Saturday matinees. Business organizations often describe themselves with sports analogies, such as, "Who will quarterback this project?" At HAS, the appropriate sports analog would have been roller derby, a wild fling of jams and elbows from people who didn't want to privatize claims processing, legislators who changed the rules in the middle of the game, and a competing company headed by Ross Perot, who wanted to take the contract away from HAS.
But through it all, John conducted himself with aplomb, calling my wife "Oregano" with tongue firmly planted in cheek, perhaps figuring that one herb was as good as another. Always dapperly attired, he sported an endless collection of bow ties in the midst of the hustle and bustle. John had written a manual on his "baby," a program called Early and Periodic Screening, Development, and Testing. His was the only manual that went straight from original to HAS version, with the addition of technical procedures. The other eleven manuals required extensive revisions to translate from government jargon to plain English.
John perfectly exemplified Rudyard's ideal of a man: "If you can keep your head about you when those about you are losing theirs...."
When HAS lost the contract to process claims in late 1976, John returned to his sensible and vital role of helping citizens of our state receive better health care.
To repeat, John's foray into HAS was a brief detour in his illustrious career, but his demeanor and behavior showed what he was made of: sterling character.